Radical generating catalyst, method for producing radical, method for producing oxidation reaction product, drug, and drug for agriculture and livestock

ABSTRACT

An object of a first aspect of the present invention is to provide a radical generating catalyst that can generate (produce) radicals under mild conditions. In order to achieve the above object, a first radical generating catalyst according to the first aspect of the present invention is characterized in that it includes ammonium and/or a salt thereof. A second radical generating catalyst according to the first aspect of the present invention is characterized in that it includes an organic compound having Lewis acidic properties and/or Brønsted acidic properties.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a radical generating catalyst, a methodfor producing radicals, a method for producing an oxidation reactionproduct, a drug, and a drug for use in agriculture and livestockindustry.

BACKGROUND ART Background Art of First and Second Aspects of Invention

On the other hand, owing to its high reactivity, a radical is animportant chemical species that is used widely. For example, sodiumchlorite (NaClO₂) is a non-toxic inexpensive oxidizing reagent and hasbeen used as a precursor of a chlorine dioxide radical (ClO₂.) (NonPatent Literatures 1 to 4).

Background Art of Third Aspect of Invention

Diseases caused by infection with bacteria and the like have long beenproblems all over the world. At present, in order to avoid infection,bacteria are removed by, for example, spraying a bactericide on thebacteria. Various types of bactericides are used today, and examplethereof include chlorine dioxide. Chlorine dioxide is used in hospitals,nursing facilities, etc.

Chlorine dioxide used as a bactericide is disclosed in Patent Literature1, for example. Patent Literature 1 describes that the bactericide isproduced by providing an aqueous solution containing a chlorite such assodium chlorite and adjusting the pH of the aqueous solution by adding abuffer thereto to stabilize the aqueous solution.

Examples of bactericides used widely in Japan include ethanol fordisinfection and hypochlorous acid. For example, Patent Literature 2describes sterilizing water in swimming pools with hypochlorous acid.

Background Art of Fourth Aspect of Invention

When agricultural crops are infected with bacteria or the like,inhibition of the growth of the agricultural crops, reduction of theyield of the agricultural crops, etc. are caused. Thus, infection withbacteria or the like is prevented or treated by spreading a bactericide.Also, when bacteria and the like grow in the excrement of industrialanimals, a foul odor is caused. Thus, deodorization or the like isperformed by spreading a bactericide.

As a bactericide for preventing the infection and growth of bacteria andthe like, chlorine dioxide and hypochlorous acid are used, for example.For example, Patent Literature 1 describes that a bactericide isproduced by providing an aqueous solution containing a chlorite such assodium chlorite and adjusting the pH of the aqueous solution by adding abuffer thereto to stabilize the aqueous solution. Patent Literature 2describes that hypochlorous acid can be used for sterilization.

CITATION LIST Patent Literatures

-   Patent Literature 1: JP 2009-100850 A-   Patent Literature 2: JP 2014-091063 A

Non Patent Literatures

-   [Non Patent Literature 1] H. Dodgen and H. Taube, J. Am. Chem. Soc.,    1949, 71, 2501-2504.-   [Non Patent Literature 2] J. K. Leigh, J. Rajput, and D. E.    Richardson, Inorg. Chem., 2014, 53, 6715-6727.-   [Non Patent Literature 3] C. L. Latshaw, Tappi J., 1994, 163-166.-   [Non Patent Literature 4] (a) J. J. Leddy, in Riegel's Handbook of    Industrial Chemistry, 8th edn. Ed., J. A. Kent, Van Nostrand    Reinhold Co. Inc, New York, 1983, pp. 212-235; (b) I. Fabian, Coord.    Chem. Rev., 2001, 216-217, 449-472.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION Technical Problem Technical Problem to be Solved byFirst and Second Aspects of Invention

However, high energy is generally required for generating radicals.Thus, heating or the like to raise the temperature is required, whichcauses problems in cost and reaction control. On this account, it is anobject of the first aspect of the present invention to provide a radicalgenerating catalyst that can generate (produce) radicals under mildconditions, a method for producing radicals using the radical generatingcatalyst, and a method for producing an oxidation reaction product usingthe radical production method. Further, it is an object of the secondaspect of the present invention to provide a radical production methodthat can generate (produce) radicals under mild conditions and a methodfor producing an oxidation reaction product using the radical productionmethod.

Technical Problem to be Solved by Third Aspect of Invention

Chlorine dioxide has a very high sterilizing and deodorizing ability.However, it is a highly explosive gas, and in Japan, accidentalexplosions of chlorine dioxide have been reported several times. Anaqueous solution of chlorine dioxide also is not preferable, because thechlorine dioxide is decomposed easily owing to change in conditions suchas the pH or the temperature of the aqueous solution, thereby causing anunpleasant odor, and, in some cases, adversely affecting the human body.Accordingly, bactericides using chlorine dioxide have a problem in thatthey lack safety and storage stability.

Ethanol exhibits a low sterilizing effect, because it volatilizesimmediately after being sprayed on hands or the like for sterilization.

Further, hypochlorous acid is decomposed immediately, so that thehypochlorous acid has a problem in that, while it has a temporarysterilizing effect, it cannot exhibit a sterilizing effect stably.

With the foregoing in mind, it is an object of the third aspect of thepresent invention to provide a drug that is highly safe and has a highsterilizing effect.

Technical Problem to be Solved by Fourth Aspect of Invention

While chlorine dioxide has a very high sterilizing and deodorizingability, it is highly explosive. Also, a chlorine dioxide aqueoussolution is decomposed easily owing to the change in pH, temperature, orthe like of the aqueous solution. Thus, bactericides using chlorinedioxide have a problem in that they lack safety and storage stability.Further, hypochlorous acid is decomposed immediately, so that thehypochlorous acid has a problem in that it only has a temporarysterilizing effect.

With the foregoing in mind, it is an object of the fourth aspect of thepresent invention to provide a drug for use in agriculture and livestockindustry, that is highly safe and has a high sterilizing effect, and amethod for producing the same.

Solution to Problem Solution to Problem by First Aspect of Invention

In order to achieve the above object, the first aspect of the presentinvention provides a first radical generating catalyst including:ammonium and/or a salt thereof. The first aspect of the presentinvention also provides a second radical generating catalyst including:an organic compound having Lewis acidic properties and/or Brønstedacidic properties. Hereinafter, the first radical generating catalystand the second radical generating catalyst according to the first aspectof the present invention may be referred to collectively as “the radicalgenerating catalyst of the present invention”.

In order to achieve the above object, the first aspect of the presentinvention also provides a method for producing a radical, including: amixing step of mixing the radical generating catalyst of the presentinvention with a radical source.

The first aspect of the present invention also provides a method forproducing an oxidation reaction product by oxidizing a substance to beoxidized, including: a radical production step of producing a radical bythe radical production method according to the first aspect of thepresent invention; and an oxidation reaction step of reacting thesubstance to be oxidized with an oxidizing agent by action of theradical, thereby generating the oxidation reaction product.

Solution to Problem by Second Aspect of Invention

In order to achieve the above object, the second aspect of the presentinvention provides a method for producing a radical, including: a mixingstep of mixing a Lewis acid and/or a Brønsted acid with a radicalsource.

The second aspect of the present invention also provides a method forproducing an oxidation reaction product by oxidizing a substance to beoxidized, including: a radical production step of producing a radical bythe radical production method according to the second aspect of thepresent invention; and an oxidation reaction step of reacting thesubstance to be oxidized with an oxidizing agent by action of theradical, thereby generating the oxidation reaction product.

Solution to Problem by Third Aspect of Invention

In order to achieve the above object, the third aspect of the presentinvention provides a drug containing: a radical generating catalyst; anda radical source, wherein the radical generating catalyst includeseither or both of: ammonium and/or a salt thereof; and a substancehaving Lewis acidic properties and/or Brønsted acidic properties.

Solution to Problem by Fourth Aspect of Invention

In order to achieve the above object, the fourth aspect of the presentinvention provides a drug for use in agriculture and livestock industry,containing: a radical generating catalyst; and a radical source, whereinthe radical generating catalyst includes either or both of: ammoniumand/or a salt thereof; and a substance having Lewis acidic propertiesand/or Brønsted acidic properties.

Advantageous Effects of Invention Advantageous Effects of First Aspectof Invention

According to the radical generating catalyst, radical-generating agent,and radical production method of the first aspect of the presentinvention, it is possible to generate (produce) radicals under mildconditions. While the radical generating catalyst, radical-generatingagent, and radical production method of the first aspect of the presentinvention can be used in, for example, the oxidation reaction productproduction method of the first aspect of the present invention, the usethereof is not limited thereto, and they are applicable to a widevariety of uses.

Advantageous Effects of Second Aspect of Invention

According to the radical production method of the second aspect of thepresent invention, it is possible to generate (produce) radicals undermild conditions. While the radical production method of the secondaspect of the present invention can be used in, for example, theoxidation reaction product production method of the second aspect of thepresent invention, the use thereof is not limited thereto, and it isapplicable to a wide variety of uses.

Advantageous Effects of Third Aspect of Invention

According to the third aspect of the present invention, it is possibleto provide a drug that is highly safe and has a high sterilizing effect.

Advantageous Effects of Fourth Aspect of Invention

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, it is possibleto provide a drug that is highly safe and has a high sterilizing effect.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows an ultraviolet-visible absorption spectrum of NaClO₂ (5.0mM) collected 0, 4, and 16 hours after mixing with Sc(OTf)₃ (10 mM) inan aqueous solution at 298 K.

FIG. 2A shows a time profile of UV-Vis absorption at 358 nm in formationof Sc³⁺(ClO₂.) by a reaction between Sc(OTf)₃ (10 mM) and NaClO₂ (5.0mM) in an aqueous solution (0.20 M acetate buffer having a pH of 2.9) at298 K. FIG. 2B shows a secondary plot.

FIG. 3A shows a time profile of UV-Vis absorption at 358 nm inconsumption of Sc³⁺(ClO₂.) in the presence of styrene (30 to 90 mM) in aMeCN/H₂O (1:1 v/v) solution at 298 K. FIG. 3B shows a pseudo first-orderrate-styrene concentration plot.

FIG. 4 shows EPR spectra of MeCN solutions measured at 298 K. In FIG. 4,(a) shows a spectrum of a MeCN solution that contains NaClO₂ (0.10 mM)at 353 K after 1-hour reflux; (b) shows a spectrum of a MeCN solutionthat contains NaClO₂ (0.10 mM) and CF₃COOH (10 mM); and (c) shows aspectrum of a MeCN solution that contains NaClO₂ (0.10 mM) and Sc(OTf)₃(10 mM).

FIG. 5 shows bond lengths (A) of optimized structures calculated by DFTat the level of CAM-B3LYP/6-311+G(d, p). In FIG. 5, (a) shows the resultobtained regarding ClO₂; (b) shows the result obtained regarding H⁺ClO₂;and (c) shows the result obtained regarding Sc³⁺ClO₂.

FIG. 6 is a spectral diagram showing the result of tracing the reactionof styrene (2.0 mM) by NaClO₂ (20 mM) in an aqueous MeCN solution(MeCN/H₂O 1:1 v/v) at room temperature (25° C.) utilizing ¹HNMR.

FIG. 7 shows ¹HNMR spectra of CD₃CN/D₂O (4:1 v/v) that contains styrene(66 mM) and NaClO₂ (200 mM) at 60° C. (333 K) collected 0 hours and 25hours after mixing. The mark “*” indicates the peak derived from styreneoxide.

FIG. 8 shows ¹HNMR spectra of CD₃CN/D₂O (1:1 v/v) that contains styrene(2.0 mM), NaClO₂ (20 mM), and Sc(OTf)₃ (30 mM) at 25° C. collected 0.6hours and 17 hours after mixing. The mark “*” and the mark “†” indicatethe peak derived from 1-phenylethane-1,2-diol and the peak derived from2-chloro-1-phenylethanol, respectively.

FIG. 9 shows ¹HNMR spectra of CD₃CN/D₂O (1:1 v/v) that contains styrene(2.0 mM), NaClO₂ (20 mM), and CF₃COOD (30 mM) collected 0.5 hours and 17hours after mixing. The mark “*” and the mark “†” indicate the peakderived from 1-phenylethane-1,2-diol and the peak derived from2-chloro-1-phenylethanol, respectively.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing spin distributions calculated by DFT at thelevel of CAM-B3LYP/6-311+G(d, p). In FIG. 10, (a) shows a spindistribution of H⁺ClO₂.; and (b) shows a spin distribution of Sc³⁺ClO₂..

In FIG. 11, (a) is a graph showing the time course of anultraviolet-visible absorption spectrum of a solution obtained by addingbenzethonium chloride (Bzn⁺) to an oxygen saturated solution of a cobalt(II) tetraphenylporphyrin complex Co(II)TPP ([CoTPP]=9.0×10⁻⁶ M, [O₂]=13mM) ([Bzn⁺Cl⁻]=30 mM); and (b) is a graph showing the time course of anincrease in the absorption band at 433 nm shown in the graph (a).

FIG. 12 show the structure of Bzn⁺ optimized by density functionalcalculation (B3LYP/6-31G(d) level).

FIG. 13 shows an ultraviolet-visible absorption spectrum of NaClO₂ (20mM) collected after mixing with Sc(OTf)₃ (40 mM) in an aqueous solutionat 298 K.

In FIG. 14, (a) to (c) are graphs each showing the time course of areaction when 10-methyl-9,10-dihydroacridine (AcrH₂) (1.4 mM) and sodiumchlorite (NaClO₂) (2.8 mM) were added to a mixed solution containingdeoxygenated acetonitrile and water (deoxygenated acetonitrile:water=1:1v/v).

In FIG. 15, (a) and (b) are graphs each showing the time course of areaction when the same mixed solution as in (a) to (c) of FIG. 14 wasprepared and Bzn⁺ (0.56 mM) was further added thereto.

In FIG. 16, (a) and (b) are graphs each showing the time course of areaction when the same mixed solution as in (a) and (b) of FIG. 15 wasprepared and Sc(OTf)₃ (3.0 mM) was further added thereto.

FIG. 17 is a schematic view showing an example of a presumed reactionmechanism of an oxygenation (oxidation) reaction from AcrH₂ to10-methylacridone.

In FIG. 18, (a) is an ultraviolet-visible absorption spectrum showingthe result of tracing an oxidation reaction of triphenylphosphine usingNaClO₂ and scandium triflate; and (b) is a graph showing therelationship between an initial concentration of Ph₃P and aconcentration of generated Ph₃P═O in the reaction shown in (a) of FIG.18.

FIG. 19 shows ¹HNMR spectra of CD₃CN/D₂O (1:1 v/v) that contains styrene(2.0 mM), NaClO₂ (6.0 mM), and Sc(OTf)₃ (5.6 mM) at 25° C. in the Aratmosphere collected 0 hours and 45 hours after mixing.

FIG. 20 shows the yield etc. in an example where an oxidation reactionproduct (benzoic acid) was obtained by performing an oxidation reactionof a raw material aromatic compound (benzaldehyde) in acetonitrile inthe presence of perchlorate (Acr⁺-Mes ClO₄ ⁻) of9-mesityl-10-methylacridinium (Acr⁺-Mes) and oxygen.

FIG. 21 is a graph showing the Lewis acidities of benzethonium chloride[Bzn⁺Cl⁻] and various metal complexes.

In FIG. 22, (a) is an ultraviolet-visible absorption spectrum showingconversion of triphenylphosphine to triphenylphosphine oxide over time;and (b) is a graph showing the change of a triphenylphosphine (Ph₃P)concentration over time in the presence and the absence of Sc(OTf)₃(Sc³⁺).

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

The present invention will be described more specifically below withreference to illustrative examples. It is to be noted, however, that thepresent invention is by no means limited by the following descriptions.

Description of Embodiments of First Aspect of Invention

First, embodiments of the first aspect of the present invention will bedescribed. It is to be noted, however, that the first aspect of thepresent invention is not limited by the following descriptions.

[1. Radical-Generating Agent]

As described above, the radical generating catalyst according to thefirst aspect of the present invention may be a radical generatingcatalyst including ammonium and/or a salt thereof (the first radicalgenerating catalyst according to the first aspect of the presentinvention). Alternatively, the radical generating catalyst according tothe first aspect of the present invention may be a radical generatingcatalyst including an organic compound having Lewis acidic propertiesand/or Brønsted acidic properties (the second radical generatingcatalyst according to the first aspect of the present invention).

The inventors of the present invention found out through research thatammonium (in particular, organic ammonium) serves as a radicalgenerating catalyst. As a result of further research, the inventors ofthe present invention further found out that ammonium serving as aradical generating catalyst may have properties as a Lewis acid. Thatis, while the reason why the ammonium serves as a radical generatingcatalyst is not clear, it is presumably because the ammonium has afunction as a Lewis acid. As a result of still further research, theinventors of the present invention discovered a radical generatingcatalyst including an organic compound having Lewis acidic propertiesand/or Brønsted acidic properties. In the first aspect of the presentinvention, the “Lewis acid” refers to a substance that acts as a Lewisacid with respect to the radical source, for example.

The Lewis acidity of the radical generating catalyst according to thefirst aspect of the present invention is, for example, 0.4 eV or more.The upper limit of the Lewis acidity is not particularly limited, andis, for example, 20 eV or less. It is to be noted that the Lewis aciditycan be measured, for example, by the method described in Ohkubo, K.;Fukuzumi, S. Chem. Eur. J., 2000, 6, 4532, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2002, 124,10270-10271 or the method described in J. Org. Chem. 2003, 68,4720-4726. Specifically, the Lewis acidity can be measured by thefollowing method.

(Measurement Method of Lewis Acidity)

As to acetonitrile (MeCN) that contains cobalt tetraphenylporphyrin,saturated O₂, and an object whose Lewis acidity is to be measured (e.g.,a cation of a metal or the like, represented by M^(n+) in the followingchemical reaction formula (1a)) in the following chemical reactionformula (1a), the change of the ultraviolet-visible absorption spectrumis measured at room temperature. On the basis of the obtained reactionrate constant (k_(cat)), the ΔE value (eV), which is an indicator of theLewis acidity, can be calculated. The higher the k_(cat), the strongerthe Lewis acidity. Furthermore, the Lewis acidity of an organic compoundcan be estimated from the energy level of the lowest unoccupiedmolecular orbital (LUMO) calculated by the quantum chemical calculation.The higher the value at the positive side, the stronger the Lewisacidity.

Examples of the rate constant of reaction between CoTPP and oxygen inthe presence of a Lewis acid, which is an indicator of the Lewis aciditymeasured (calculated) by the above-described measurement method, areshown below. In the following table, the numerical value expressed inthe unit “k_(cat), M⁻²s⁻¹” is a rate constant of reaction between CoTPPand oxygen in the presence of a Lewis acid. The numerical valueexpressed in the unit “LUMO, eV” is the energy level of LUMO. The“benzetonium chloride” means benzethonium chloride, “benzalkoniumchloride” means benzalkonium chloride, “tetramethylammoniumhexafluorophosphate” means tetramethylammonium hexafluorophosphate,“tetrabutylammonium hexafluorophosphate” means tetrabutylammoniumhexafluorophosphate, and “ammonium hexafluorophosphate” means ammoniumhexafluorophosphate (Note from translator: in the original text inJapanese, the above sentence explains the meanings of the English termsin the table in Japanese).

TABLE tpp LUMO, eV k_(cat), M⁻² s⁻¹ benzetonium chloride −4.12 0.24benzalkonium chloride −4.02 0.18 tetramethylammonium hexafluorophosphate−3.58 >0.1 tetrabutylammonium hexafluorophosphate −2.07 >0.1 ammoniumhexafluorophosphate −5.73 20

In the radical generating catalyst of the first aspect of the presentinvention, the ammonium may be quaternary ammonium, or may be tertiaryammonium, secondary ammonium, primary ammonium, or ammonium, forexample.

In the radical generating catalyst of the first aspect of the presentinvention, the ammonium (the first radical generating catalyst accordingto the first aspect of the present invention) or the organic compoundhaving Lewis acidic properties and/or Brønsted acidic properties (thesecond radical generating catalyst according to the first aspect of thepresent invention) may be, for example, a cationic surfactant, which maybe a quaternary ammonium-type cationic surfactant. Examples of thequaternary ammonium-type cationic surfactant include benzalkoniumchloride, benzethonium chloride, cetylpyridinium chloride,hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide, dequalinium chloride, edrophonium,didecyldimethylammonium chloride, tetramethylammonium chloride,tetrabutylammonium chloride, benzyltriethylammonium chloride,oxytropium, carbachol, glycopyrronium, safranin, sinapine,tetraethylammonium bromide, hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide,suxamethonium, sphingomyelin, denatonium, trigonelline, neostigmine,paraquat, pyridostigmine, phellodendrine, pralidoxime methiodide,betaine, betanin, bethanechol, betalain, lecithin, and cholines (e.g.,choline chlorides [such as benzoyl choline chloride and a lauroylcholinechloride hydrate], phosphocholine, acetylcholine, choline,dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine, and choline bitartrate). It is to benoted, however, that, in the radical production method of the firstaspect of the present invention, the quaternary ammonium is not limitedto a surfactant.

In the radical generating catalyst of the first aspect of the presentinvention, the ammonium may be ammonium represented by the followingchemical formula (XI), for example.

In the chemical formula (XI), R¹¹, R²¹, R³¹, and R⁴¹ are each a hydrogenatom or an alkyl group (e.g., a straight-chain or branched alkyl grouphaving 1 to 40 carbon atoms) and may each include an ether bond, aketone (carbonyl group), an ester bond, or an amide bond, or an aromaticring. R¹¹, R²¹, R³¹, and R⁴¹ may be the same or different from eachother. X⁻ is an anion.

The ammonium represented by the chemical formula (XI) may be ammoniumrepresented by the following chemical formula (XII), for example.

In the chemical formula (XII), R¹¹¹ is an alkyl group having 5 to 40carbon atoms and may comprise an ether bond, a ketone (carbonyl group),an ester bond, or an amide bond, or an aromatic ring, and R²¹ and X⁻ arethe same as those in the chemical formula (XI).

In the chemical formula (XII), R²¹ may be a methyl group or a benzylgroup, for example. In the benzyl group, one or more hydrogen atoms onthe benzene ring may or may not be substituted with any substituent. Thesubstituent may be, for example, an alkyl group, an unsaturatedaliphatic hydrocarbon group, an aryl group, a heteroaryl group, ahalogen, a hydroxy group (—OH), a mercapto group (—SH), or an alkylthiogroup (—SR, where R is an alkyl group).

The ammonium represented by the chemical formula (XII) may be ammoniumrepresented by the following chemical formula (XIII), for example.

In the chemical formula (XIII), R¹¹¹ and X⁻ are the same as those in thechemical formula (XII).

The ammonium represented by the chemical formula (XI) may be, forexample, at least one selected from the group consisting of benzethoniumchloride, benzalkonium chloride, hexadecyltrimethylammonium chloride,tetramethylammonium chloride, ammonium chloride, and tetrabutylammoniumchloride. It is particularly preferable that the ammonium represented bythe chemical formula (XII) is benzethonium chloride.

Benzethonium chloride (Bzn⁺Cl⁻) can be represented by the followingchemical formula, for example. Benzalkonium chloride can be, forexample, a compound represented by the chemical formula (XIII) whereR¹¹¹ is an alkyl group having 8 to 18 carbon atoms and X⁻ is a chlorideion.

In the chemical formulae (XI), (XII), and (XIII), X⁻ may be any anionand is not particularly limited. X⁻ is not limited to a monovalentanion, and may be an anion with any valence, such as a divalent anion ora trivalent anion. When the anion is an anion with a plurality ofelectric charges, such as a divalent anion or a trivalent anion, thenumber of molecules of the ammonium (monovalent) in each of the chemicalformulae (XI), (XII), and (XIII) is determined by, for example, [thenumber of molecules of the anion×the valence of the anion] (e.g., whenthe anion is divalent, the number of molecules of the ammonium(monovalent) is twice the number of molecules of the anion). X⁻ may be,for example, a halogen ion (a fluoride ion, a chloride ion, a bromideion, or an iodide ion), an acetate ion, a nitrate ion, or a sulfate ion.

In the first aspect of the present invention, the ammonium may include aplurality of ammonium structures (N⁺) in one molecule. Further, theammonium may form a dimer, trimer, or the like by association of aplurality of molecules through a π electron interaction, for example.

In the radical-generating agent according to the first aspect of thepresent invention, the acid dissociation constant pK_(a) of the Brønstedacid is, for example, 5 or more. The upper limit of the pK_(a) is notparticularly limited and is, for example, 50 or less.

[2. Radical Production Method]

Next, the radical production method according to the first aspect of thepresent invention will be described.

As described above, the radical production method of the first aspect ofthe present invention is characterized in that it includes a mixing stepof mixing the radical generating catalyst of the first aspect of thepresent invention with a radical source. The mixture may or may notfurther contain a substance(s) other than the radical generatingcatalyst of the first aspect of the present invention and the radicalsource. For example, in the mixing step, it is preferable to further mixa solvent from the viewpoint of reactivity and the like. In the firstaspect of the present invention, the “solvent” may or may not dissolvethe radical generating catalyst of the first aspect of the presentinvention, the radical source, and the like. For example, after themixing step, the radical generating catalyst of the first aspect of thepresent invention and the radical source may each be in a state of beingdissolved in the solvent, or may each be in a state of being dispersedor precipitated in the solvent.

The radical production method of the first aspect of the presentinvention includes, for example, after the mixing step, a radicalproduction step of producing radicals through a reaction in the obtainedmixture. As described above, the mixture may be in the form of asolution, a suspension, or a colloid, for example. From the viewpoint ofreactivity, it is preferable that the mixture is in the form of asolution or a colloid, for example. In the radical production step, themixture may be merely allowed to stand still at room temperature, or maybe subjected to heating, light irradiation, or the like when necessary,for example. The reaction temperature and the reaction time in theradical production step are not particularly limited, and can be set asappropriate depending on the type of the reactant (raw material), thetype of a desired product, etc., for example. When the mixture isirradiated with light, the wavelength of the light is not particularlylimited, and can be set as appropriate depending on the absorption bandof the reactant (raw material), etc., for example. The reaction time andthe reaction temperature also can be adjusted by, for example, adjustingthe concentrations of the radical generating catalyst of the firstaspect of the present invention and the radical source in the mixture.The reaction time can be shortened by setting the concentrations higher,for example. It is to be noted, however, that the first aspect of thepresent invention is not limited by this description.

The concentration of the radical generating catalyst of the first aspectof the present invention is not particularly limited. For example, themolar concentration of the reactant relative to the solvent is notparticularly limited, and can be set as appropriate depending on thetype of the reactant (raw material), the type of a desired product,etc., for example. The solvent is not particularly limited, and may beeither water or an organic solvent, for example. The organic solvent maybe, for example: a halogenated solvent such as methylene chloride,chloroform, or carbon tetrachloride; ketone such as acetone; a nitrilesolvent such as acetonitrile; an alcohol solvent such as methanol orethanol; an acetic acid solvent; or a sulfuric acid solvent. Only onetype of solvent may be used, or two or more types of solvents may beused in combination, for example. The acetic acid solvent and sulfuricacid solvent may be, for example, solvents obtained by dissolving aceticacid and sulfuric acid in water, respectively. They are solvents and, atthe same time, also serve as a Lewis acid or a Brønsted acid, forexample. The type of the solvent may be selected as appropriatedepending on the solubility of the solutes (e.g., the radical generatingcatalyst of the first aspect of the present invention, the radicalsource, and the like), etc., for example.

In the radical production method of the first aspect of the presentinvention, the reaction may be performed by heating the mixture, asdescribed above. Also, it is possible to produce radicals by performingthe reaction by merely irradiating the mixture with light withoutheating or by merely allowing the mixture to stand still at roomtemperature without heating or light irradiation. The definition of the“room temperature” is not particularly limited, and is from 5° C. to 35°C., for example. Since the radical production method of the first aspectof the present invention can be performed without heating, the cost forthe heating with an electric furnace or the like is not necessary, whichallows a drastic reduction in the cost for producing radicals, forexample. Besides, since the radical production method of the firstaspect of the present invention can be performed without heating, anunexpected runaway reaction caused by a radical chain reaction andaccumulation of peroxides are prevented, which greatly improves thesafety of the reaction and allows still further reduction in cost, forexample. It is to be noted, however, that these descriptions are merelyillustrative, and do not limit the first aspect of the present inventionby any means.

The radical production method of the first aspect of the presentinvention may further include, for example, a light irradiation step ofirradiating the mixture obtained in the mixing step with light. Then, asdescribed above, radicals may be produced through a reaction caused bythe light irradiation. The wavelength of the irradiation light is asdescribed above, for example. A light source is not particularlylimited. For example, by using visible light contained in natural lightsuch as sunlight, excitation can be performed easily. Also, for example,instead of or in addition to the natural light, a light source such as axenon lamp, a halogen lamp, a fluorescent lamp, or a mercury lamp may beused when necessary or may not be used. Further, a filter that cutswavelengths other than a necessary wavelength may be used when necessaryor may not be used.

In the radical production method of the first aspect of the presentinvention, the radical source may include, for example, at least oneselected from the group consisting of halogen ions, hypohalite ions,halite ions, halate ions, and perhalate ions. Particularly preferably,the radical source includes a chlorite ion, for example. The radicalsource may include, for example, an oxoacid or a salt thereof (e.g., ahalogen oxoacid or a salt thereof). Examples of the oxoacid includeboric acid, carbonic acid, orthocarbonic acid, carboxylic acid, silicicacid, nitrous acid, nitric acid, phosphorous acid, phosphoric acid,arsenic acid, sulfurous acid, sulfuric acid, sulfonic acid, sulfinicacid, chromic acid, dichromic acid, and permanganic acid. Examples ofthe halogen oxoacid include: chlorine oxoacids such as hypochlorousacid, chlorous acid, chloric acid, and perchloric acid; bromine oxoacidssuch as hypobromous acid, bromous acid, bromic acid, and perbromic acid;and iodine oxoacids such as hypoiodous acid, iodous acid, iodic acid,and periodic acid.

The radical source may be selected as appropriate depending on the usethereof, with consideration given to the intensity of reactivity of aradical species, etc., for example. For example, hypochlorous acidexhibiting high reactivity or chlorous acid exhibiting somewhat lowerreactivity than the hypochlorous acid and allowing a reaction to becontrolled more easily may be used as appropriate depending on theintended use.

In the radical production method of the first aspect of the presentinvention, the radical source may include an electron donor-acceptorlinked molecule, for example. The electron donor-acceptor linkedmolecule is not particularly limited. For example, the electrondonor-acceptor linked molecule may be such that an electron donor moietyis composed of one or more electron donor groups and an electronacceptor moiety is composed of one or more aromatic cations. In thiscase, the aromatic cation may be either a monocyclic ring or a condensedring, and the aromatic ring may or may not include a heteroatom and mayor may not have a substituent other than the electron donor group.Furthermore, an aromatic ring that forms the aromatic cation may be, forexample, any of a 5- to 26-membered ring, although the number of atomsconstituting the ring is not particularly limited.

The aromatic ring that forms the aromatic cation preferably is at leastone selected from the group consisting of a pyrrolinium ring, apyridinium ring, a quinolinium ring, an isoquinolinium ring, anacridinium ring, a 3,4-benzoquinolinium ring, a 5,6-benzoquinoliniumring, a 6,7-benzoquinolinium ring, a 7,8-benzoquinolinium ring, a3,4-benzoisoquinolinium ring, a 5,6-benzoisoquinolinium ring, a6,7-benzoisoquinolinium ring, a 7,8-benzoisoquinolinium ring, and ringsobtained by substitution of at least one carbon atom of these rings witha heteroatom. For example, when the aromatic ring is a macrocyclic(having many π electrons) aromatic cation such as an acridinium ring, abenzoquinolinium ring, or a benzoisoquinolinium ring, for example,visible light excitation becomes possible if the absorption band shiftstoward the longer wavelength side so as to be in the visible region.

The electron donor group preferably is at least one selected from thegroup consisting of a hydrogen atom, alkyl groups, and aromatic rings.In this case, the aromatic ring further may have one or moresubstituents on the ring, and when a plurality of substituents arepresent, they may be the same or different from each other. When aplurality of electron donor groups are present, they may be the same ordifferent from each other. Furthermore, in the electron donor group inthis case, it is more preferable that the alkyl group is astraight-chain or branched alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms.Furthermore, in the electron donor group, it is more preferable that thearomatic ring is at least one selected from the group consisting of abenzene ring, a naphthalene ring, an anthracene ring, a phenanthrenering, a pyridine ring, a thiophene ring, and a pyrene ring. In theelectron donor group, it is more preferable that the substituent on thearomatic ring is at least one selected from the group consisting ofalkyl groups, alkoxy groups, primary to tertiary amines, carboxylicacids, and carboxylate esters. In Ar, it is more preferable that thesubstituent on the aromatic ring is at least one selected from the groupconsisting of straight-chain or branched alkyl groups having 1 to 6carbon atoms, straight-chain or branched alkoxy groups having 1 to 6carbon atoms, primary to tertiary amines, carboxylic acids, andcarboxylate esters. In the substituent on the aromatic ring, a“carboxylic acid” refers to a carboxyl group or a group having acarboxyl group added to its end (e.g., a carboxyalkyl group), and a“carboxylate ester” refers to a carboxylate ester group such as analkoxycarbonyl group or a phenoxycarbonyl group, or an acyloxy group. Analkyl group in the carboxyalkyl group preferably is a straight-chain orbranched alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, for example. An alkoxygroup in the alkoxycarbonyl group preferably is a straight-chain orbranched alkoxy group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, for example.

It is still more preferable that the electron donor group is at leastone selected from the group consisting of a phenyl group, an o-tolylgroup, an m-tolyl group, a p-tolyl group, a 2,3-dimethylphenyl group, a2,4-dimethylphenyl group, a 2,5-dimethylphenyl group, a2,6-dimethylphenyl group, a 3,4-dimethylphenyl group, a3,5-dimethylphenyl group, a 2,3,4-trimethylphenyl group, a2,3,5-trimethylphenyl group, a 2,3,6-trimethylphenyl group, a mesitylgroup (2,4,6-trimethylphenyl group), and a 3,4,5-trimethylphenyl group.Among these, a mesityl group is particularly preferable from theviewpoint of the lifetime of the electron-transfer state(charge-separated state) and the like. Although the reasons why amesityl group can bring about a particularly excellent effect is notclear, they are speculated to be as follows, for example: two methylgroups are present in the ortho position, so that the benzene rings ofthe mesityl groups easily cross at right angles to the aromatic ring ofthe aromatic cation; and hyperconjugation does not occur very ofteninside the mesityl group. This, however, merely is an example of apresumable mechanism, and does not limit the first aspect of the presentinvention by any means.

The electron donor-acceptor linked molecule preferably is at least oneselected from the group consisting of: nitrogen-containing aromaticcation derivatives represented by the following formulae (A-1) to (A-8);quinolinium ion derivatives represented by the following formula (I);stereoisomers and tautomers thereof; and salts thereof, from theviewpoints of the lifetime, oxidizing power, reducing power, and thelike of the electron-transfer state (charge-separated state).

In the formulae (A-1) to (A-8), R is a hydrogen atom or any substituent,Ar is the electron donor group, and the number of Ars may be one ormore, and when a plurality of Ars are present, they may be the same ordifferent from each other, and the nitrogen-containing aromatic ringthat forms a nitrogen-containing aromatic cation may or may not have atleast one substituent other than R and Ar. In the formula (I), R¹ is ahydrogen atom or any substituent, Ar¹ to Ar³ are each a hydrogen atom orthe electron donor group and may be the same or different from eachother, and at least one of Ar¹ to Ar³ is the electron donor group.

In the formulae (A-1) to (A-8), R preferably is a hydrogen atom, analkyl group, a benzyl group, a carboxyalkyl group (an alkyl group with acarboxyl group added to its end), an aminoalkyl group (an alkyl grouphaving an amino group added to its end), or a polyether chain. Morepreferably, R is a hydrogen atom, a straight-chain or branched alkylgroup having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, a benzyl group, a straight-chain orbranched alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms with a carboxyl groupadded to its end, a straight-chain or branched alkyl group having 1 to 6carbon atoms with an amino group added to its end, or a polyethyleneglycol (PEG) chain. The PEG chain is an example of the polyether chain.The type of the polyether chain is not limited thereto, and thepolyether chain may be of any type. In R, the degree of polymerizationof the polyether chain is not particularly limited, and is, for example,1 to 100, preferably 1 to 50, and more preferably 1 to 10. In the casewhere the polyether chain is a PEG chain, the degree of polymerizationis not particularly limited, and is, for example, 1 to 100, preferably 1to 50, and more preferably 1 to 10.

It is more preferable that the electron donor-acceptor linked moleculeis at least one selected from the group consisting of 9-substitutedacridinium ions represented by the following formula (A-9), tautomersthereof, and stereoisomers thereof.

In the formula (A-9), R and Ar are the same as those in the formula(A-1).

Furthermore, it is particularly preferable that the electrondonor-acceptor linked molecule is a 9-mesityl-10-methylacridinium ionrepresented by the following formula (A-10). By photoexcitation of this9-mesityl-10-methylacridinium ion, it is possible to generate along-lived electron-transfer state (charge-separated state) having ahigh oxidizing power and a high reducing power. As excitation light forthe photoexcitation, it is possible to use visible light, for example.

Examples of the 9-substituted acridinium ion represented by the formula(A-9) further include compounds (A-101) to (A-116) shown in thefollowing table, in addition to the one represented by the above formula(A-10).

TABLE 1 Compound Substituent No. R Ar (A-101) methyl group phenyl group(A-102) methyl group o-tolyl group (A-103) methyl group m-tolyl group(A-104) methyl group p-tolyl group (A-105) methyl group2,3-dimethylphenyl group (A-106) methyl group 2,4-dimethylphenyl group(A-107) methyl group 2,5-dimethylphenyl group (A-108) methyl group2,6-dimethylphenyl group (A-109) methyl group 3,4-dimethylphenyl group(A-110) methyl group 3,5-dimethylphenyl group (A-111) methyl group2,3,4-trimethylphenyl group (A-112) methyl group 2,3,5-trimethylphenylgroup (A-113) methyl group 2,3,6-trimethylphenyl group (A-114) methylgroup mesityl group (2,4,6-trimethylphenyl group) (A-115) methyl group3,4,5-trimethylphenyl group (A-116) methyl group hydrogen atom

In the quinolinium ion derivative represented by the formula (I), R¹preferably is a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, a benzyl group, acarboxyalkyl group (an alkyl group with a carboxyl group added to itsend), an aminoalkyl group (an alkyl group having an amino group added toits end), or a polyether chain, for example. More preferably, R¹ is ahydrogen atom, a straight-chain or branched alkyl group having 1 to 6carbon atoms, a benzyl group, a straight-chain or branched alkyl grouphaving 1 to 6 carbon atoms with a carboxyl group added to its end, astraight-chain or branched alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms withan amino group added to its end, or a polyethylene glycol (PEG) chain,for example. The PEG chain is an example of the polyether chain. Thetype of the polyether chain is not limited thereto, and the polyetherchain may be of any type. In R¹, the degree of polymerization of thepolyether chain is not particularly limited, and is, for example, 1 to100, preferably 1 to 50, and more preferably 1 to 10. In the case wherethe polyether chain is a PEG chain, the degree of polymerization is notparticularly limited, and is, for example, 1 to 100, preferably 1 to 50,and more preferably 1 to 10. Furthermore, Ar¹ to Ar³ preferably are eacha hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, or an aromatic ring, for example, andthe alkyl group more preferably is a straight-chain or branched alkylgroup having 1 to 6 carbon atoms. In Ar¹ to Ar³, the aromatic ringfurther may have one or more substituents on the ring, and when aplurality of substituents are present, they may be the same or differentfrom each other.

In Ar¹ to Ar³ in the formula (I), the aromatic ring more preferably is abenzene ring, a naphthalene ring, an anthracene ring, a phenanthrenering, a pyridine ring, a thiophene ring, or a pyrene ring, for example.Furthermore, in Ar¹ to Ar³, the substituent on the aromatic ring morepreferably is an alkyl group, an alkoxy group, any one of primary totertiary amines, a carboxylic acid, or a carboxylate ester. Still morepreferably, the substituent on the aromatic ring is a straight-chain orbranched alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, a straight-chain orbranched alkoxy group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, any one of primary totertiary amines, a carboxylic acid, or a carboxylate ester. Thesecondary amine is not particularly limited, and preferably is analkylamino group, and more preferably is a straight-chain or branchedalkylamino group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, for example. The tertiaryamine is not particularly limited, and preferably is a dialkylaminogroup, and more preferably is a dialkylamino group with a straight-chainor branched alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, for example.

In the substituent on the aromatic ring in Ar¹ to Ar³, a “carboxylicacid” refers to a carboxyl group or a group having a carboxyl groupadded to its end (e.g., a carboxyalkyl group), and a “carboxylate ester”refers to a carboxylate ester group such as an alkoxycarbonyl group or aphenoxycarbonyl group, or an acyloxy group. An alkyl group in thecarboxyalkyl group preferably is a straight-chain or branched alkylgroup having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, for example. An alkoxy group in thealkoxycarbonyl group preferably is a straight-chain or branched alkoxygroup having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, for example.

Among the quinolinium ion derivatives represented by the formula (I),for example, quinolinium ion derivatives represented by the followingformulae 1 to 5 are particularly preferable in terms of a long lifetime,a high oxidizing power, a high reducing power, and the like of thecharge-separated state.

In addition to the above compounds 1 to 5, compounds 6 to 36 shown inTables 1 and 2 below also are particularly preferable, for example.Tables 2 and 3 show the structures of the compounds 6 to 36 byindicating the combination of R¹ and Ar¹ to Ar³ in the formula (I).Those skilled in the art can produce and use the compounds 6 to 36easily according to the production and use of the compounds 1 to 5 withreference to examples to be described below, without undue trial anderror, complicated and advanced experiments, etc.

TABLE 2 Compound Substituent No. R¹ Ar¹ Ar² Ar³  6 methyl group hydrogenphenyl group hydrogen atom atom  7 methyl group hydrogen tolyl grouphydrogen atom atom  8 methyl group hydrogen xylyl group hydrogen atomatom  9 methyl group hydrogen durenyl group hydrogen atom atom 10 methylgroup hydrogen phenyl group hydrogen atom atom 11 methyl group hydrogenaminophenyl group hydrogen atom atom 12 methyl group hydrogenmethoxynaphthyl hydrogen atom group atom 13 methyl group hydrogenanthryl group hydrogen atom atom 14 methyl group hydrogen pyrenyl grouphydrogen atom atom 15 ethoxycarbonyl hydrogen phenyl group hydrogengroup atom atom 16 ethoxycarbonyl hydrogen tolyl group hydrogen groupatom atom 17 ethoxycarbonyl hydrogen xylyl group hydrogen group atomatom 18 ethoxycarbonyl hydrogen durenyl group hydrogen group atom atom19 ethoxycarbonyl hydrogen phenyl group hydrogen group atom atom 20ethoxycarbonyl hydrogen methoxynaphthyl hydrogen group atom group atom21 ethoxycarbonyl hydrogen anthryl group hydrogen group atom atom 22ethoxycarbonyl hydrogen pyrenyl group hydrogen group atom atom

TABLE 3 Compound Substituent No. R¹ Ar¹ Ar² Ar³ 23 ethoxycarbonylhydrogen atom mesityl group hydrogen group atom 24 ethoxycarbonylhydrogen atom naphthyl group hydrogen group atom 25 ethoxycarbonylhydrogen atom methylnaphthyl hydrogen group group atom 26 methyl groupaminophenyl hydrogen atom phenyl group group 27 methyl group tolyl grouphydrogen atom phenyl group 28 methyl group xylyl group hydrogen atomphenyl group 29 methyl group durenyl group hydrogen atom phenyl group 30methyl group phenyl group hydrogen atom phenyl group 31 methyl groupmethoxy- hydrogen atom phenyl naphthyl group group 32 methyl groupanthryl group hydrogen atom phenyl group 33 methyl group pyrenyl grouphydrogen atom phenyl group 34 methyl group mesityl group hydrogen atomphenyl group 35 methyl group (N,N-dimethyl- hydrogen atom phenyl amino)group phenyl group 36 methyl group phenyl group phenyl group phenylgroup

The electron donor-acceptor linked molecule may be a commerciallyavailable product or may be produced (synthesized) as appropriate. Whenthe electron donor-acceptor linked molecule is produced, the method forproducing it is not particularly limited, and it can be produced asappropriate by a known production method or with reference to a knownproduction method, for example. Specifically, the production methoddescribed in Japanese Patent No. 5213142 may be used, for example.

In the first aspect of the present invention, when the compound (e.g.,the electron donor-acceptor linked molecule) has isomers such astautomers and stereoisomers (e.g., a geometric isomer, a conformer, andan optical isomer), any isomer can be used in the first aspect of thepresent invention, unless otherwise stated. When the compound (e.g., theelectron donor-acceptor linked molecule) can form a salt, the salt alsocan be used in the first aspect of the present invention, unlessotherwise stated. The salt may be an acid addition salt, or may be abase addition salt. Moreover, an acid that forms the acid addition saltmay be either an inorganic acid or an organic acid, and a base thatforms the base addition salt may be either an inorganic base or anorganic base. The inorganic acid is not particularly limited, andexamples thereof include sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid, hydrofluoricacid, hydrochloric acid, hydrobromic acid, hydroiodic acid, hypofluorousacid, hypochlorous acid, hypobromous acid, hypoiodous acid, fluorousacid, chlorous acid, bromous acid, iodous acid, fluorine acid, chloricacid, bromic acid, iodic acid, perfluoric acid, perchloric acid,perbromic acid, and periodic acid. The organic acid also is notparticularly limited, and examples thereof include p-toluenesulfonicacid, methanesulfonic acid, oxalic acid, p-bromobenzenesulfonic acid,carbonic acid, succinic acid, citric acid, benzoic acid, and aceticacid. The inorganic base is not particularly limited, and examplesthereof include ammonium hydroxides, alkali metal hydroxides,alkaline-earth metal hydroxides, carbonates, and hydrogencarbonates.More specifically, the inorganic base may be, for example, sodiumhydroxide, potassium hydroxide, potassium carbonate, sodium carbonate,sodium hydrogencarbonate, potassium hydrogencarbonate, calciumhydroxide, and calcium carbonate. The organic base also is notparticularly limited, and examples thereof include ethanolamine,triethylamine, and tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane. The method forproducing these salts also is not particularly limited. For example,they can be produced by adding an acid or a base such as described aboveto the compound as appropriate by a known method.

Moreover, in the first aspect of the present invention, a chainsubstituent (e.g., an alkyl group, hydrocarbon groups such as anunsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbon group, etc.) may be straight-chain orbranched, unless otherwise stated, and the number of carbons thereof isnot particularly limited, and may be, for example, 1 to 40, 1 to 32, 1to 24, 1 to 18, 1 to 12, 1 to 6, or 1 to 2 (at least 2 in the case of anunsaturated hydrocarbon group). Furthermore, in the first aspect of thepresent invention, as to a cyclic group (e.g., an aryl group, aheteroaryl group, etc.), the number of ring members (the number of atomsthat compose a ring) is not particularly limited and may be, forexample, 5 to 32, 5 to 24, 6 to 18, 6 to 12, or 6 to 10. When asubstituent or the like has isomers, any isomer can be used, unlessotherwise stated. For example, in the case of simply describing as a“naphthyl group”, it may be a 1-naphthyl group or a 2-naphthyl group.

[3. Oxidation Reaction Product Production Method]

As described above, the oxidation reaction product production method ofthe first aspect of the present invention is a method for producing anoxidation reaction product by oxidizing a substance to be oxidized,characterized in that it includes: a radical production step ofproducing a radical by the radical production method according to thefirst aspect of the present invention; and an oxidation reaction step ofreacting the substance to be oxidized with an oxidizing agent by actionof the radical, thereby generating the oxidation reaction product.

The method for carrying out the oxidation reaction product productionmethod of the first aspect of the present invention is not particularlylimited. For example, in the mixing step, not only the radicalgenerating catalyst of the first aspect of the present invention and theradical source but also the substance to be oxidized and the oxidizingagent may be mixed together. At this time, as described above, it ispreferable to further mix a solvent. Then, in the radical productionstep, the substance to be oxidized may be reacted with the oxidizingagent by action of the produced radicals, thereby generating theoxidation reaction product. That is, the oxidation reaction step may beperformed at the same time with the radical production step in the samereaction system. In this case, the concentrations of the substance to beoxidized and the oxidizing agent are not particularly limited. Forexample, the molar concentrations of the reactants relative to thesolvent are not particularly limited, and can be set as appropriate. Forexample, the concentration of the substance to be oxidized preferably isset as high as possible because the reaction rate becomes faster inkeeping with the elevation of the concentration, and the concentrationof the oxidizing agent preferably is set so as to be not too high inorder to allow the reaction to proceed smoothly. It is to be noted,however, that this description merely is illustrative, and does notlimit the first aspect of the present invention by any means.

In the oxidation reaction product production method of the first aspectof the present invention, the radical also may serve as the oxidizingagent. For example, the radical-generating agent may be an oxoacid, anda radical generated from the oxoacid may be an oxidizing agent. As anillustrative example, the radical-generating agent may be a chlorousacid ion ClO₂ ⁻, and the oxidation reaction product may be produced byoxidizing the substance to be oxidized with the radical ClO₂. generatedfrom the chlorous acid ion ClO₂ ⁻ as the oxidizing agent.

Alternatively, the radicals and the oxidizing agent may be differentsubstances, for example. For example, the radical-generating agent maybe the electron donor-acceptor linked molecule, the oxidizing agent maybe an oxygen molecule O₂, and the oxidation reaction product may beproduced by oxidizing the substance to be oxidized by action of theradical of the electron donor-acceptor linked molecule and the oxygenmolecule.

The substance to be oxidized is not particularly limited, and may beeither an organic compound or an inorganic substance, for example. Forexample, the substance to be oxidized may be triphenylphosphine Ph₃P,and the oxidation reaction product may be triphenylphosphine oxidePh₃P═O. Also, for example, the substance to be oxidized may be olefin,and the oxidation reaction product may contain epoxide and/or diol.

The substance to be oxidized may be an aromatic compound (may bereferred to as “raw material aromatic compound” hereinafter), forexample. In the first aspect of the present invention, the raw materialaromatic compound is not particularly limited. It is preferable that anelectron donor group is bound to an aromatic ring of the raw materialaromatic compound, because, for example, this allows an oxidationreaction (including an oxidative substitution reaction) of the rawmaterial aromatic compound to proceed more easily. The number of theelectron donor groups may be one or more, and the electron donor groupwith a strong electron-donating property is preferable. Morespecifically, it is more preferable that the raw material aromaticcompound is such that at least one substituent selected from the groupconsisting of —OR¹⁰⁰, —NR²⁰⁰ ₂, and AR¹⁰⁰ is covalently bound to thearomatic ring. R¹⁰⁰ is a hydrogen atom or any substituent, and when aplurality of R¹⁰⁰s are present, they may be the same or different fromeach other. R²⁰⁰s are each a hydrogen atom or any substituent, and theymay be the same or different from each other. AR¹⁰⁰ is an aryl group,and when a plurality of AR¹⁰⁰s are present, they may be the same ordifferent from each other.

AR¹⁰⁰ may be a group derived from any aromatic ring such as a benzenering, a naphthalene ring, an anthracene ring, a phenanthrene ring, apyridine ring, a thiophene ring, or a pyrene ring. The aromatic ringfurther may have one or more substituents thereon, and when a pluralityof substituents are present, they may be the same or different from eachother. AR¹⁰⁰ may be a phenyl group, for example.

R¹⁰⁰ preferably is at least one selected from the group consisting of ahydrogen atom, alkyl groups, aryl groups, and acyl groups. The alkylgroup preferably is a straight-chain or branched alkyl group having 1 to6 carbon atoms, and a methyl group is particularly preferable. The acylgroup preferably is a straight-chain or branched acyl group having 1 to6 carbon atoms. The aryl group is the same as AR¹⁰⁰ for example, and isa phenyl group, for example.

R²⁰⁰ preferably is at least one selected from the group consisting of ahydrogen atom, alkyl groups, aryl groups, and acyl groups. The alkylgroup preferably is a straight-chain or branched alkyl group having 1 to6 carbon atoms, and a methyl group is particularly preferable. The acylgroup preferably is a straight-chain or branched acyl group having 1 to6 carbon atoms. The aryl group is the same as AR¹⁰⁰, for example, and isa phenyl group, for example. As —NR²⁰⁰ ₂, an amino group substitutedwith an electron donor substituent, such as a dimethylamino group or adiphenylamino group, is preferable because of its particularly highelectron-donating properties.

Furthermore, the raw material aromatic compound may be such that, forexample, a substituent such as an alkyl group is covalently bound to thearomatic ring, and the substituent may be oxidized in the step ofgenerating the oxidation reaction product. For example, the oxidizingagent may contain an oxygen atom, the raw material aromatic compound maycontain a methylene group (—CH₂—) covalently bound to the aromatic ring,and in the step of generating the oxidation reaction product, themethylene group (—CH₂—) may be converted to a carbonyl group (—CO—) byoxidation. In this case, an atom or atomic group that is bound to themethylene group and the carbonyl group is not particularly limited, andexamples thereof include a hydrogen atom, alkyl groups, and aryl groups.The alkyl group preferably is a straight-chain or branched alkyl grouphaving 1 to 6 carbon atoms. The alkyl group and aryl group may furtherbe substituted with one or more substituents. When they are substitutedwith a plurality of substituents, the substituents may be the same ordifferent from each other. For example, the methylene group becomes amethyl group (—CH₃) when hydrogen is bound thereto, and it becomes aformyl group (—CHO) after oxidation. The methylene group becomes anethyl group (—CH₂CH₃) when a methyl group is bound thereto, and itbecomes an acetyl group (—COCH₃) after oxidation. The methylene groupbecomes a benzyl group (—CH₂Ph) when a phenyl group is bound thereto,and it becomes a benzoyl group (—COPh) after oxidation. Alternatively,for example, the substituent (before being oxidized) covalently bound toan aromatic ring may be a formyl group (—CHO), and may become a carboxygroup (—COOH) after oxidation.

In the oxidation reaction product production method of the first aspectof the present invention, the substance to be oxidized may be an olefin,for example, and the olefin may be an aromatic olefin or an aliphaticolefin, for example. The olefin may be an olefin represented by thefollowing chemical formula (A1), for example. Furthermore, the oxidationreaction product of the olefin is not particularly limited, and, forexample, may contain at least one of an epoxide and a diol as in thefollowing scheme A. In each of the following chemical formulae (A1),(A2), and (A3), Rs each may be a hydrogen atom or any substituent, andRs may be the same or different from each other. The substituent may be,for example, an alkyl group, an unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbon group,an aryl group, a heteroaryl group, a halogen, a hydroxy group (—OH), amercapto group (—SH), or an alkylthio group (—SR and R are each an alkylgroup), and the substituent may or may not be substituted with anothersubstituent. The alkyl group preferably is a straight-chain or branchedalkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms. Furthermore, the olefin, whichis a substance to be oxidized, may be an olefin containing one olefinbond (carbon-carbon double bond) or an olefin containing two or moreolefin bonds.

The olefin may be, for example, an aromatic olefin, as described above.That is, for example, in the chemical formula (A1), at least one of Rsmay be an aromatic ring (an aryl group or a heteroaryl group). Further,as described above regarding the raw material aromatic compound, thearomatic olefin may be such that at least one substituent selected fromthe group consisting of —OR¹⁰⁰, —NR²⁰⁰ ₂, and AR¹⁰⁰ is covalently boundto the aromatic ring.

In the method for producing an oxidation reaction product of an olefinaccording to the first aspect of the present invention, the olefin maybe at least one selected from the group consisting of ethylene,propylene, styrene, and butadiene. Furthermore, the oxidation reactionproduct may be, as described above, at least one of an epoxide and adiol, for example. The examples thereof are shown in the followingschemes A1 to A3. It is to be noted, however, that the schemes A1 to A3are merely illustrative examples, and in the first aspect of the presentinvention, the oxidation reactions of ethylene, propylene, and styreneare not limited thereto.

In oxidization of an olefin (for example, the olefin (A1) in the schemeA), for example, by adjusting the concentration of at least one of: theLewis acid and/or Brønsted acid; the radical source; and the oxidizingagent, oxidation reaction products can be selectively generated. Forexample, an epoxide is prone to be obtained when the concentrations arelow with respect to the substance to be oxidized and a diol is prone tobe obtained when the concentrations are high with respect to thesubstance to be oxidized, although the present invention is not limitedthereto. Furthermore, for example, instead of changing theconcentrations, by changing the intensity of the reactivity of a radicalspecies generated from the radical source, oxidation reaction productscan be selectively generated. For example, an epoxide is prone to beobtained with a radical species having low reactivity and a diol isprone to be obtained with a radical species having high reactivity,although the present invention is not limited thereto. It is to be notedthat the use of the oxidation reaction product is not particularlylimited. For example, when the substance to be oxidized (raw materialaromatic compound) is styrene, styrene oxide can be utilized as anadhesive agent and a diol can be utilized as a perfume. As describedabove, the epoxide and the diol are in demand for different uses. Thus,the selective production of the epoxide and the diol by controlling thereaction condition allows the first aspect of the present invention tobe applied to further wider uses.

Description of Embodiments of Second Aspect of Invention

Next, embodiments of the second aspect of the present invention will bedescribed. It is to be noted, however, that the second aspect of thepresent invention is not limited by the following descriptions.

[1. Radical Production Method]

As described above, the radical production method according to thesecond aspect of the present invention is characterized in that itincludes a mixing step of mixing a Lewis acid and/or a Brønsted acidwith a radical source. The mixture may or may not further contain anysubstance other than the radical source and the Lewis acid and/orBrønsted and. For example, in the mixing step, it is preferable tofurther mix a solvent from the viewpoint of reactivity and the like. Inthe second aspect of the present invention, the “Lewis acid” refers to asubstance that acts as a Lewis acid with respect to the radical source,for example. In the second aspect of the present invention, the“solvent” may or may not dissolve the Lewis acid, the Brønsted acid, theradical source, and the like. For example, after the mixing step, theradical source and the Lewis acid and/or Brønsted acid may each be in astate of being dissolved in the solvent, or may each be in a state ofbeing dispersed or precipitated in the solvent.

The radical production method of the second aspect of the presentinvention includes, for example, after the mixing step, a radicalproduction step of producing radicals through a reaction in the obtainedmixture. As described above, the mixture may be in the form of asolution, a suspension, or a colloid, for example. From the viewpoint ofreactivity, it is preferable that the mixture is in the form of asolution or a colloid, for example. In the radical production step, themixture may be merely allowed to stand still at room temperature, or maybe subjected to heating, light irradiation, or the like when necessary,for example. The reaction temperature and the reaction time in theradical production step are not particularly limited, and can be set asappropriate depending on the type of the reactant (raw material), thetype of a desired product, etc., for example. When the mixture isirradiated with light, the wavelength of the light is not particularlylimited, and can be set as appropriate depending on the absorption bandof the reactant (raw material), etc., for example. The reaction time andthe reaction temperature also can be adjusted by, for example, adjustingthe concentrations of the radical source and the Lewis acid and/orBrønsted acid in the mixture. The reaction time can be shortened bysetting the concentrations higher, for example. It is to be noted,however, that the second aspect of the present invention is not limitedby this description.

The concentrations of the Lewis acid and/or Brønsted acid are notparticularly limited, and can be set as appropriate depending on thetype of the reactant (raw material), the type of a desired product,etc., for example. Also, the solvent is not particularly limited. Forexample, the solvent may be either water or an organic solvent, and canbe selected as appropriate depending on the types of solutes, etc. Theorganic solvent may be, for example: a halogenated solvent such asmethylene chloride, chloroform, or carbon tetrachloride; ketone such asacetone; a nitrile solvent such as acetonitrile; an alcohol solvent suchas methanol or ethanol; an acetic acid solvent; or a sulfuric acidsolvent. Only one type of solvent may be used, or two or more types ofsolvents may be used in combination, for example. The acetic acidsolvent and sulfuric acid solvent may be, for example, solvents obtainedby dissolving acetic acid and sulfuric acid in water, respectively. Theyare solvents and, at the same time, also serve as a Lewis acid or aBrønsted acid, for example.

In the radical production method of the second aspect of the presentinvention, the reaction may be performed by heating the mixture, asdescribed above. Also, it is possible to produce radicals by performingthe reaction by merely irradiating the mixture with light withoutheating or by merely allowing the mixture to stand still at roomtemperature without heating or light irradiation. The definition of the“room temperature” is not particularly limited, and is from 5° C. to 35°C., for example. Since the radical production method of the first aspectof the present invention can be performed without heating, the cost forthe heating with an electric furnace or the like is not necessary, whichallows drastic reduction in cost for producing radicals, for example.Besides, since the radical production method of the first aspect of thepresent invention can be performed without heating, an unexpectedrunaway reaction caused by a radical chain reaction and accumulation ofperoxides are prevented, which greatly improves the safety of thereaction and allows still further reduction in cost, for example. It isto be noted, however, that these descriptions are merely illustrative,and do not limit the first aspect of the present invention by any means.

The radical production method of the second aspect of the presentinvention may further include, for example, a light irradiation step ofirradiating the mixture obtained in the mixing step with light. Then, asdescribed above, radicals may be produced through a reaction caused bythe light irradiation. The wavelength of the irradiation light is asdescribed above, for example. A light source is not particularlylimited. For example, by using visible light contained in natural lightsuch as sunlight, excitation can be performed easily. Also, for example,instead of or in addition to the natural light, a light source such as axenon lamp, a halogen lamp, a fluorescent lamp, or a mercury lamp may beused when necessary or may not be used. Further, a filter that cutswavelengths other than a necessary wavelength may be used when necessaryor may not be used.

In the radical production method according to the second aspect of thepresent invention, the Lewis acidity of the Lewis acid is, for example,0.4 eV or more, although it is not limited. The upper limit of the Lewisacidity is not particularly limited, and is, for example, 20 eV or less.It is to be noted that the Lewis acidity can be measured, for example,by the method described in Ohkubo, K.; Fukuzumi, S. Chem. Eur. J., 2000,6, 4532, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2002, 124, 10270-10271 or the methoddescribed in J. Org. Chem. 2003, 68, 4720-4726. Specifically, the Lewisacidity can be measured by the following method.

(Measurement Method of Lewis Acidity)

As to acetonitrile (MeCN) that contains cobalt tetraphenylporphyrin,saturated O₂, and an object whose Lewis acidity is to be measured (e.g.,a cation of a metal or the like, represented by M^(n+) in the followingchemical reaction formula (1a)) in the following chemical reactionformula (1a), the change of the ultraviolet-visible absorption spectrumis measured at room temperature. On the basis of the obtained reactionrate constant (k_(cat)), the ΔE value (eV), which is an indicator of theLewis acidity, can be calculated. The higher the k_(cat), the strongerthe Lewis acidity. Furthermore, the Lewis acidity of an organic compoundcan be estimated from the energy level of the lowest unoccupiedmolecular orbital (LUMO) calculated by the quantum chemical calculation.The higher the value at the positive side, the stronger the Lewisacidity.

Examples of the rate constant of reaction between CoTPP and oxygen inthe presence of a Lewis acid, which is an indicator of the Lewis aciditymeasured (calculated) by the above-described measurement method, areshown below. In the following table, the numerical value expressed inthe unit “k_(cat), M⁻²s⁻¹” is a rate constant of reaction between CoTPPand oxygen in the presence of a Lewis acid. The numerical valueexpressed in the unit “LUMO, eV” is the energy level of LUMO. The“benzetonium chloride” means benzethonium chloride, “benzalkoniumchloride” means benzalkonium chloride, “tetramethylammoniumhexafluorophosphate” means tetramethylammonium hexafluorophosphate,“tetrabutylammonium hexafluorophosphate” means tetrabutylammoniumhexafluorophosphate, and “ammonium hexafluorophosphate” means ammoniumhexafluorophosphate (Note from translator: in the original text inJapanese, the above sentence explains the meanings of the English termsin the table in Japanese).

TABLE tpp LUMO, eV k _(cat), M⁻² s⁻¹ benzetonium chloride −4.12 0.24benzalkonium chloride −4.02 0.18 tetramethylammonium hexafluorophosphate−3.58 >0.1 tetrabutylammonium hexafluorophosphate −2.07 >0.1 ammoniumhexafluorophosphate −5.73 20

In the radical production method of the second aspect of the presentinvention, the Lewis acid may include an organic compound. The Lewisacid may be ammonium, for example. The ammonium may be quaternaryammonium, or may be tertiary ammonium, secondary ammonium, primaryammonium, or ammonium, for example.

The organic compound may be, for example, a cationic surfactant, whichmay be a quaternary ammonium-type cationic surfactant. Examples of thequaternary ammonium-type cationic surfactant include benzalkoniumchloride, benzethonium chloride, cetylpyridinium chloride,hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide, dequalinium chloride, edrophonium,didecyldimethylammonium chloride, tetramethylammonium chloride,benzyltriethylammonium chloride, oxytropium, carbachol, glycopyrronium,safranin, sinapine, tetraethylammonium bromide,hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide, suxamethonium, sphingomyelin,denatonium, trigonelline, neostigmine, paraquat, pyridostigmine,phellodendrine, pralidoxime methiodide, betaine, betanin, bethanechol,betalain, lecithin, and cholines (e.g., choline chlorides (such asbenzoyl choline chloride and a lauroylcholine chloride hydrate),phosphocholine, acetylcholine, choline, dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine,and choline bitartrate). It is to be noted, however, that, in theradical production method of the second aspect of the present invention,the quaternary ammonium is not limited to a surfactant.

In the radical production method of the second aspect of the presentinvention, the ammonium may be ammonium represented by the followingchemical formula (XI), for example.

In the chemical formula (XI), R¹¹, R²¹, R³¹, and R⁴¹ are each a hydrogenatom or an alkyl group (e.g., a straight-chain or branched alkyl grouphaving 1 to 40 carbon atoms) and may each include an ether bond, aketone (carbonyl group), an ester bond, or an amide bond, or an aromaticring. R¹¹, R²¹, R³¹, and R⁴¹ may be the same or different from eachother. X⁻ is an anion.

The ammonium represented by the chemical formula (XI) may be ammoniumrepresented by the following chemical formula (XII), for example.

In the chemical formula (XII), R¹¹¹ is an alkyl group having 5 to 40carbon atoms and may comprise an ether bond, a ketone (carbonyl group),an ester bond, or an amide bond, or an aromatic ring, and R²¹ and X⁻ arethe same as those in the chemical formula (XI).

In the chemical formula (XII), R²¹ may be a methyl group or a benzylgroup, for example. In the benzyl group, one or more hydrogen atoms onthe benzene ring may or may not be substituted with any substituent. Thesubstituent may be, for example, an alkyl group, an unsaturatedaliphatic hydrocarbon group, an aryl group, a heteroaryl group, ahalogen, a hydroxy group (—OH), a mercapto group (—SH), or an alkylthiogroup (—SR, where R is an alkyl group).

The ammonium represented by the chemical formula (XII) may be ammoniumrepresented by the following chemical formula (XIII), for example.

In the chemical formula (XIII), R¹¹¹ and X⁻ are the same as those in thechemical formula (XII).

The ammonium represented by the chemical formula (XI) may be, forexample, at least one selected from the group consisting of benzethoniumchloride, benzalkonium chloride, hexadecyltrimethylammonium chloride,tetramethylammonium chloride, ammonium chloride, and tetrabutylammoniumchloride. It is particularly preferable that the ammonium represented bythe chemical formula (XII) is benzethonium chloride.

Benzethonium chloride (Bzn⁺Cl⁻) can be represented by the followingchemical formula, for example. Benzalkonium chloride can be, forexample, a compound represented by the chemical formula (XIII) whereR¹¹¹ is an alkyl group having 8 to 18 carbon atoms and X⁻ is a chlorideion.

In the chemical formulae (XI), (XII), and (XIII), X⁻ may be any anionand is not particularly limited. X⁻ is not limited to a monovalentanion, and may be an anion with any valence, such as a divalent anion ora trivalent anion. When the anion is an anion with a plurality ofelectric charges, such as a divalent anion or a trivalent anion, thenumber of molecules of the ammonium (monovalent) in each of the chemicalformulae (XI), (XII), and (XIII) is determined by, for example, [thenumber of molecules of the anion×the valence of the anion] (e.g., whenthe anion is divalent, the number of molecules of the ammonium(monovalent) is twice the number of molecules of the anion). X⁻ may be,for example, a halogen ion (a fluoride ion, a chloride ion, a bromideion, or an iodide ion), an acetate ion, a nitrate ion, or a sulfate ion.

In the second aspect of the present invention, the ammonium may includea plurality of ammonium structures (N⁺) in one molecule. Further, theammonium may form a dimer, trimer, or the like by association of aplurality of molecules through a π electron interaction, for example.

In the radical production method of the second aspect of the presentinvention, the Lewis acid may include an inorganic substance. Theinorganic substance may include one or both of metal ions and nonmetalions. The metal ion may include one or both of typical metal ions andtransition metal ions. The inorganic substance may be, for example, atleast one selected from the group consisting of alkali earth metal ions(e.g., Ca²⁺), rare earth ions, Mg²⁺, Sc³⁺, Li⁺, Fe²⁺, Fe³⁺, Al³⁺,silicate ions, and borate ions. Examples of the alkali earth metal ioninclude ions of calcium, strontium, barium, and radium. Morespecifically, examples of the alkali earth metal ion include Ca²⁺, Sr²⁺,Ba²⁺, and Ra²⁺. Furthermore the “rare earth metal” is a generic name ofa set of seventeen elements, specifically, two elements such asscandium₂₁Sc and yttrium₃₉Y and fifteen elements (lanthanoids) fromlanthanum₅₇La to lutetium₇₁Lu. Examples of the rare earth ion includecorresponding trivalent cations of the seventeen elements.

The Lewis acid (including the counter ion) may be, for example, at leastone selected from the group consisting of AlCl₃, AlMeCl₂, AlMe₂Cl, BF₃,BPh₃, BMe₃, TiCl₄, SiF₄, and SiCl₄. It is to be noted that the “Ph”indicates a phenyl group and the “Me” indicates a methyl group.

In the radical production method of the second aspect of the presentinvention, the acid dissociation constant pK_(a) of the Brønsted acidis, for example, 5 or more. The upper limit of the pK_(a) is notparticularly limited and is, for example, 50 or less.

In the radical production method of the second aspect of the presentinvention, the radical source may include, for example, at least oneselected from the group consisting of halogen ions, hypohalite ions,halite ions, halate ions, and perhalate ions. The radical source mayinclude, for example, an oxoacid or a salt thereof (e.g., a halogenoxoacid or a salt thereof). Examples of the oxoacid include boric acid,carbonic acid, orthocarbonic acid, carboxylic acid, silicic acid,nitrous acid, nitric acid, phosphorous acid, phosphoric acid, arsenicacid, sulfurous acid, sulfuric acid, sulfonic acid, sulfinic acid,chromic acid, dichromic acid, and permanganic acid. Examples of thehalogen oxoacid include: chlorine oxoacids such as hypochlorous acid,chlorous acid, chloric acid, and perchloric acid; bromine oxoacids suchas hypobromous acid, bromous acid, bromic acid, and perbromic acid; andiodine oxoacids such as hypoiodous acid, iodous acid, iodic acid, andperiodic acid. The radical source may be selected as appropriatedepending on the use thereof, with consideration given to the intensityof reactivity of a radical species, etc., for example. For example,hypochlorous acid exhibiting high reactivity or chlorous acid exhibitingsomewhat lower reactivity than the hypochlorous acid and allowing areaction to be controlled more easily may be used as appropriatedepending on the intended use.

In the radical production method of the second aspect of the presentinvention, the radical source may include an electron donor-acceptorlinked molecule, for example. The electron donor-acceptor linkedmolecule is not particularly limited. For example, the electrondonor-acceptor linked molecule may be such that an electron donor moietyis composed of one or more electron donor groups and an electronacceptor moiety is composed of one or more aromatic cations. In thiscase, the aromatic cation may be either a monocyclic ring or a condensedring, and the aromatic ring may or may not include a heteroatom and mayor may not have a substituent other than the electron donor group.Furthermore, an aromatic ring that forms the aromatic cation may be, forexample, any of a 5- to 26-membered ring, although the number of atomsconstituting the ring is not particularly limited.

The aromatic ring that forms the aromatic cation preferably is at leastone selected from the group consisting of a pyrrolinium ring, apyridinium ring, a quinolinium ring, an isoquinolinium ring, anacridinium ring, a 3,4-benzoquinolinium ring, a 5,6-benzoquinoliniumring, a 6,7-benzoquinolinium ring, a 7,8-benzoquinolinium ring, a3,4-benzoisoquinolinium ring, a 5,6-benzoisoquinolinium ring, a6,7-benzoisoquinolinium ring, a 7,8-benzoisoquinolinium ring, and ringsobtained by substitution of at least one carbon atom of these rings witha heteroatom. For example, when the aromatic ring is a macrocyclic(having many π electrons) aromatic cation such as an acridinium ring, abenzoquinolinium ring, or a benzoisoquinolinium ring, for example,visible light excitation becomes possible if the absorption band shiftstoward the longer wavelength side so as to be in the visible region.

The electron donor group preferably is at least one selected from thegroup consisting of a hydrogen atom, alkyl groups, and aromatic rings.In this case, the aromatic ring further may have one or moresubstituents on the ring, and when a plurality of substituents arepresent, they may be the same or different from each other. When aplurality of electron donor groups are present, they may be the same ordifferent from each other. Furthermore, in the electron donor group inthis case, it is more preferable that the alkyl group is astraight-chain or branched alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms.Furthermore, in the electron donor group, it is more preferable that thearomatic ring is at least one selected from the group consisting of abenzene ring, a naphthalene ring, an anthracene ring, a phenanthrenering, a pyridine ring, a thiophene ring, and a pyrene ring. In theelectron donor group, it is more preferable that the substituent on thearomatic ring is at least one selected from the group consisting ofalkyl groups, alkoxy groups, primary to tertiary amines, carboxylicacids, and carboxylate esters. In Ar, it is more preferable that thesubstituent on the aromatic ring is at least one selected from the groupconsisting of straight-chain or branched alkyl groups having 1 to 6carbon atoms, straight-chain or branched alkoxy groups having 1 to 6carbon atoms, primary to tertiary amines, carboxylic acids, andcarboxylate esters. In the substituent on the aromatic ring, a“carboxylic acid” refers to a carboxyl group or a group having acarboxyl group added to its end (e.g., a carboxyalkyl group), and a“carboxylate ester” refers to a carboxylate ester group such as analkoxycarbonyl group or a phenoxycarbonyl group, or an acyloxy group. Analkyl group in the carboxyalkyl group preferably is a straight-chain orbranched alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, for example. An alkoxygroup in the alkoxycarbonyl group preferably is a straight-chain orbranched alkoxy group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, for example.

It is still more preferable that the electron donor group is at leastone selected from the group consisting of a phenyl group, an o-tolylgroup, an m-tolyl group, a p-tolyl group, a 2,3-dimethylphenyl group, a2,4-dimethylphenyl group, a 2,5-dimethylphenyl group, a2,6-dimethylphenyl group, a 3,4-dimethylphenyl group, a3,5-dimethylphenyl group, a 2,3,4-trimethylphenyl group, a2,3,5-trimethylphenyl group, a 2,3,6-trimethylphenyl group, a mesitylgroup (2,4,6-trimethylphenyl group), and a 3,4,5-trimethylphenyl group.Among these, a mesityl group is particularly preferable from theviewpoint of the lifetime of the electron-transfer state(charge-separated state) and the like. Although the reasons why amesityl group can bring about a particularly excellent effect is notclear, they are speculated to be as follows, for example: two methylgroups are present in the ortho position, so that the benzene rings ofthe mesityl groups easily cross at right angles to the aromatic ring ofthe aromatic cation; and hyperconjugation does not occur very ofteninside the mesityl group. This, however, merely is an example of apresumable mechanism, and does not limit the second aspect of thepresent invention by any means.

The electron donor-acceptor linked molecule preferably is at least oneselected from the group consisting of: nitrogen-containing aromaticcation derivatives represented by the following formulae (A-1) to (A-8);quinolinium ion derivatives represented by the following formula (I);stereoisomers and tautomers thereof; and salts thereof, from theviewpoints of the lifetime, oxidizing power, reducing power, and thelike of the electron-transfer state (charge-separated state).

In the formulae (A-1) to (A-8), R is a hydrogen atom or any substituent,Ar is the electron donor group, and the number of Ars may be one ormore, and when a plurality of Ars are present, they may be the same ordifferent from each other, and the nitrogen-containing aromatic ringthat forms a nitrogen-containing aromatic cation may or may not have atleast one substituent other than R and Ar. In the formula (I), R¹ is ahydrogen atom or any substituent, Ar¹ to Ar³ are each a hydrogen atom orthe electron donor group and may be the same or different from eachother, and at least one of Ar¹ to Ar³ is the electron donor group.

In the formulae (A-1) to (A-8), R preferably is a hydrogen atom, analkyl group, a benzyl group, a carboxyalkyl group (an alkyl group with acarboxyl group added to its end), an aminoalkyl group (an alkyl grouphaving an amino group added to its end), or a polyether chain. Morepreferably, R is a hydrogen atom, a straight-chain or branched alkylgroup having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, a benzyl group, a straight-chain orbranched alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms with a carboxyl groupadded to its end, a straight-chain or branched alkyl group having 1 to 6carbon atoms with an amino group added to its end, or a polyethyleneglycol (PEG) chain. The PEG chain is an example of the polyether chain.The type of the polyether chain is not limited thereto, and thepolyether chain may be of any type. In R, the degree of polymerizationof the polyether chain is not particularly limited, and is, for example,1 to 100, preferably 1 to 50, and more preferably 1 to 10. In the casewhere the polyether chain is a PEG chain, the degree of polymerizationis not particularly limited, and is, for example, 1 to 100, preferably 1to 50, and more preferably 1 to 10.

It is more preferable that the electron donor-acceptor linked moleculeis at least one selected from the group consisting of 9-substitutedacridinium ions represented by the following formula (A-9), tautomersthereof, and stereoisomers thereof.

In the formula (A-9), R and Ar are the same as those in the formula(A-1).

Furthermore, it is particularly preferable that the electrondonor-acceptor linked molecule is a 9-mesityl-10-methylacridinium ionrepresented by the following formula (A-10). By photoexcitation of this9-mesityl-10-methylacridinium ion, it is possible to generate along-lived electron-transfer state (charge-separated state) having ahigh oxidizing power and a high reducing power. As excitation light forthe photoexcitation, it is possible to use visible light, for example.

Examples of the 9-substituted acridinium ion represented by the formula(A-9) further include compounds (A-101) to (A-116) shown in thefollowing table, in addition to the one represented by the above formula(A-10).

TABLE 1 Substituent Compound No. R Ar (A-101) methyl group phenyl group(A-102) methyl group o-tolyl group (A-103) methyl group m-tolyl group(A-104) methyl group p-tolyl group (A-105) methyl group2,3-dimethylphenyl group (A-106) methyl group 2,4-dimethylphenyl group(A-107) methyl group 2,5-dimethylphenyl group (A-108) methyl group2,6-dimethylphenyl group (A-109) methyl group 3,4-dimethylphenyl group(A-110) methyl group 3,5-dimethylphenyl group (A-111) methyl group2,3,4-trimethylphenyl group (A-112) methyl group 2,3,5-trimethylphenylgroup (A-113) methyl group 2,3,6-trimethylphenyl group (A-114) methylgroup mesityl group (2,4,6-trimethylphenyl group) (A-115) methyl group3,4,5-trimethylphenyl group (A-116) methyl group hydrogen atom

In the quinolinium ion derivative represented by the formula (I), R¹preferably is a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, a benzyl group, acarboxyalkyl group (an alkyl group with a carboxyl group added to itsend), an aminoalkyl group (an alkyl group having an amino group added toits end), or a polyether chain, for example. More preferably, R¹ is ahydrogen atom, a straight-chain or branched alkyl group having 1 to 6carbon atoms, a benzyl group, a straight-chain or branched alkyl grouphaving 1 to 6 carbon atoms with a carboxyl group added to its end, astraight-chain or branched alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms withan amino group added to its end, or a polyethylene glycol (PEG) chain,for example. The PEG chain is an example of the polyether chain. Thetype of the polyether chain is not limited thereto, and the polyetherchain may be of any type. In R¹, the degree of polymerization of thepolyether chain is not particularly limited, and is, for example, 1 to100, preferably 1 to 50, and more preferably 1 to 10.

In the case where the polyether chain is a PEG chain, the degree ofpolymerization is not particularly limited, and is, for example, 1 to100, preferably 1 to 50, and more preferably 1 to 10. Furthermore, Ar¹to Ar³ preferably are each a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, or anaromatic ring, for example, and the alkyl group more preferably is astraight-chain or branched alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms. InAr¹ to Ar³, the aromatic ring further may have one or more substituentson the ring, and when a plurality of substituents are present, they maybe the same or different from each other.

In Ar¹ to Ar³ in the formula (I), the aromatic ring more preferably is abenzene ring, a naphthalene ring, an anthracene ring, a phenanthrenering, a pyridine ring, a thiophene ring, or a pyrene ring, for example.Furthermore, in Ar¹ to Ar³, the substituent on the aromatic ring morepreferably is an alkyl group, an alkoxy group, any one of primary totertiary amines, a carboxylic acid, or a carboxylate ester. Still morepreferably, the substituent on the aromatic ring is a straight-chain orbranched alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, a straight-chain orbranched alkoxy group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, any one of primary totertiary amines, a carboxylic acid, or a carboxylate ester. Thesecondary amine is not particularly limited, and preferably is analkylamino group, and more preferably is a straight-chain or branchedalkylamino group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, for example. The tertiaryamine is not particularly limited, and preferably is a dialkylaminogroup, and more preferably is a dialkylamino group with a straight-chainor branched alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, for example.

In the substituent on the aromatic ring in Ar¹ to Ar³, a “carboxylicacid” refers to a carboxyl group or a group having a carboxyl groupadded to its end (e.g., a carboxyalkyl group), and a “carboxylate ester”refers to a carboxylate ester group such as an alkoxycarbonyl group or aphenoxycarbonyl group, or an acyloxy group. An alkyl group in thecarboxyalkyl group preferably is a straight-chain or branched alkylgroup having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, for example. An alkoxy group in thealkoxycarbonyl group preferably is a straight-chain or branched alkoxygroup having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, for example.

Among the quinolinium ion derivatives represented by the formula (I),for example, quinolinium ion derivatives represented by the followingformulae 1 to 5 are particularly preferable in terms of a long lifetime,a high oxidizing power, a high reducing power, and the like of thecharge-separated state.

In addition to the above compounds 1 to 5, compounds 6 to 36 shown inTables 1 and 2 below also are particularly preferable, for example.Tables 2 and 3 show the structures of the compounds 6 to 36 byindicating the combination of R¹ and Ar¹ to Ar³ in the formula (I).Those skilled in the art can produce and use the compounds 6 to 36easily according to the production and use of the compounds 1 to 5 withreference to examples to be described below, without undue trial anderror, complicated and advanced experiments, etc.

TABLE 2 Compound Substituent No. R¹ Ar' Ar² Ar³ 6 methyl group hydrogenphenyl hydrogen atom group atom 7 methyl group hydrogen tolyl hydrogenatom group atom 8 methyl group hydrogen xylyl hydrogen atom group atom 9methyl group hydrogen durenyl hydrogen atom group atom 10 methyl grouphydrogen phenyl hydrogen atom group atom 11 methyl group hydrogenaminophenyl hydrogen atom group atom 12 methyl group hydrogenmethoxynaphthyl hydrogen atom group atom 13 methyl group hydrogenanthryl hydrogen atom group atom 14 methyl group hydrogen pyrenylhydrogen atom group atom 15 ethoxycarbonyl hydrogen phenyl hydrogengroup atom group atom 16 ethoxycarbonyl hydrogen tolyl hydrogen groupatom group atom 17 ethoxycarbonyl hydrogen xylyl hydrogen group atomgroup atom 18 ethoxycarbonyl hydrogen durenyl hydrogen group atom groupatom 19 ethoxycarbonyl hydrogen phenyl hydrogen group atom group atom 20ethoxycarbonyl hydrogen methoxynaphthyl hydrogen group atom group atom21 ethoxycarbonyl hydrogen anthryl hydrogen group atom group atom 22ethoxycarbonyl hydrogen pyrenyl hydrogen group atom group atom

TABLE 3 Compound Substituent No. R¹ Ar¹ Ar² Ar³ 23 ethoxycarbony1hydrogen mesityl hydrogen group atom group atom 24 ethoxycarbonylhydrogen naphthyl hydrogen group atom group atom 25 ethoxycarbonylhydrogen methylnaphthyl hydrogen group atom group atom 26 methyl groupaminophenyl hydrogen phenyl group atom group 27 methyl group tolyl grouphydrogen phenyl atom group 28 methyl group xylyl group hydrogen phenylatom group 29 methyl group durenyl group hydrogen phenyl atom group 30methyl group phenyl group hydrogen phenyl atom group 31 methyl groupmethoxy- hydrogen phenyl naphthyl group atom group 32 methyl groupanthryl group hydrogen phenyl atom group 33 methyl group pyrenyl grouphydrogen phenyl atom group 34 methyl group mesityl group hydrogen phenylatom group 35 methyl group (N,N-dimethyl- hydrogen phenyl amino) atomgroup phenyl group 36 methyl group phenyl group phenyl phenyl groupgroup

The electron donor-acceptor linked molecule may be a commerciallyavailable product or may be produced (synthesized) as appropriate. Whenthe electron donor-acceptor linked molecule is produced, the method forproducing it is not particularly limited, and it can be produced asappropriate by a known production method or with reference to a knownproduction method, for example. Specifically, the production methoddescribed in Japanese Patent No. 5213142 may be used, for example.

In the second aspect of the present invention, when the compound (e.g.,the electron donor-acceptor linked molecule) has isomers such astautomers and stereoisomers (e.g., a geometric isomer, a conformer, andan optical isomer), any isomer can be used in the second aspect of thepresent invention, unless otherwise stated. When the compound (e.g., theelectron donor-acceptor linked molecule) can form a salt, the salt alsocan be used in the second aspect of the present invention, unlessotherwise stated. The salt may be an acid addition salt, or may be abase addition salt. Moreover, an acid that forms the acid addition saltmay be either an inorganic acid or an organic acid, and a base thatforms the base addition salt may be either an inorganic base or anorganic base. The inorganic acid is not particularly limited, andexamples thereof include sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid, hydrofluoricacid, hydrochloric acid, hydrobromic acid, hydroiodic acid, hypofluorousacid, hypochlorous acid, hypobromous acid, hypoiodous acid, fluorousacid, chlorous acid, bromous acid, iodous acid, fluorine acid, chloricacid, bromic acid, iodic acid, perfluoric acid, perchloric acid,perbromic acid, and periodic acid. The organic acid also is notparticularly limited, and examples thereof include p-toluenesulfonicacid, methanesulfonic acid, oxalic acid, p-bromobenzenesulfonic acid,carbonic acid, succinic acid, citric acid, benzoic acid, and aceticacid. The inorganic base is not particularly limited, and examplesthereof include ammonium hydroxides, alkali metal hydroxides,alkaline-earth metal hydroxides, carbonates, and hydrogencarbonates.More specifically, the inorganic base may be, for example, sodiumhydroxide, potassium hydroxide, potassium carbonate, sodium carbonate,sodium hydrogencarbonate, potassium hydrogencarbonate, calciumhydroxide, and calcium carbonate. The organic base also is notparticularly limited, and examples thereof include ethanolamine,triethylamine, and tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane. The method forproducing these salts also is not particularly limited. For example,they can be produced by adding an acid or a base such as described aboveto the compound as appropriate by a known method.

Moreover, in the second aspect of the present invention, a chainsubstituent (e.g., an alkyl group, hydrocarbon groups such as anunsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbon group, etc.) may be straight-chain orbranched, unless otherwise stated, and the number of carbons thereof isnot particularly limited, and may be, for example, 1 to 40, 1 to 32, 1to 24, 1 to 18, 1 to 12, 1 to 6, or 1 to 2 (at least 2 in the case of anunsaturated hydrocarbon group). Furthermore, in the second aspect of thepresent invention, as to a cyclic group (e.g., an aryl group, aheteroaryl group, etc.), the number of ring members (the number of atomsthat compose a ring) is not particularly limited and may be, forexample, 5 to 32, 5 to 24, 6 to 18, 6 to 12, or 6 to 10. When asubstituent or the like has isomers, any isomer can be used, unlessotherwise stated. For example, in the case of simply describing as a“naphthyl group”, it may be a 1-naphthyl group or a 2-naphthyl group.

[2. Oxidation Reaction Product Production Method]

As described above, the oxidation reaction product production method ofthe second aspect of the present invention is a method for producing anoxidation reaction product by oxidizing a substance to be oxidized,characterized in that it includes: a radical production step ofproducing a radical by the radical production method according to thesecond aspect of the present invention; and an oxidation reaction stepof reacting the substance to be oxidized with an oxidizing agent byaction of the radical, thereby generating the oxidation reactionproduct.

The method for carrying out the oxidation reaction product productionmethod of the second aspect of the present invention is not particularlylimited. For example, in the mixing step, not only the radical sourceand the Lewis acid and/or Brønsted acid but also the substance to beoxidized and the oxidizing agent further may be mixed together. At thistime, as described above, it is preferable to further mix a solvent.Then, in the radical production step, the substance to be oxidized maybe reacted with the oxidizing agent by action of the produced radicals,thereby generating the oxidation reaction product. That is, theoxidation reaction step may be performed at the same time with theradical production step in the same reaction system. In this case, theconcentrations of the substance to be oxidized and the oxidizing agentare not particularly limited, and can be set as appropriate. In order toallow the oxidation reaction to proceed rapidly, for example, theconcentration of the substance to be oxidized may be set as high aspossible and the concentration of the oxidizing agent may be set so asto be not too high and not too low, for example. It is to be noted,however, that the method for allowing the oxidation reaction to proceedrapidly is not limited thereto.

In the oxidation reaction product production method of the second aspectof the present invention, the radical also may serve as the oxidizingagent. For example, the radical-generating agent may be an oxoacid, anda radical generated from the oxoacid may be an oxidizing agent. As anillustrative example, the radical-generating agent may be a chlorousacid ion ClO₂ ⁻, and the oxidation reaction product may be produced byoxidizing the substance to be oxidized with the radical ClO₂. generatedfrom the chlorous acid ion ClO₂ ⁻ as the oxidizing agent.

Alternatively, the radicals and the oxidizing agent may be differentsubstances, for example. For example, the radical-generating agent maybe the electron donor-acceptor linked molecule, the oxidizing agent maybe an oxygen molecule O₂, and the oxidation reaction product may beproduced by oxidizing the substance to be oxidized by action of theradical of the electron donor-acceptor linked molecule and the oxygenmolecule.

The substance to be oxidized is not particularly limited, and may beeither an organic compound or an inorganic substance, for example. Forexample, the substance to be oxidized may be triphenylphosphine Ph₃P,and the oxidation reaction product may be triphenylphosphine oxidePh₃P═O. Also, for example, the substance to be oxidized may be olefin,and the oxidation reaction product may contain epoxide and/or diol.

The substance to be oxidized may be an aromatic compound (may bereferred to as “raw material aromatic compound” hereinafter), forexample. In the second aspect of the present invention, the raw materialaromatic compound is not particularly limited. It is preferable that anelectron donor group is bound to an aromatic ring of the raw materialaromatic compound, because, for example, this allows an oxidationreaction (including an oxidative substitution reaction) of the rawmaterial aromatic compound to proceed more easily. The number of theelectron donor groups may be one or more, and the electron donor groupwith a strong electron-donating property is preferable. Morespecifically, it is more preferable that the raw material aromaticcompound is such that at least one substituent selected from the groupconsisting of —OR¹⁰⁰, —NR²⁰⁰ ₂, and AR¹⁰⁰ is covalently bound to thearomatic ring. R¹⁰⁰ is a hydrogen atom or any substituent, and when aplurality of R¹⁰⁰s are present, they may be the same or different fromeach other. R²⁰⁰s are each a hydrogen atom or any substituent, and theymay be the same or different from each other. AR¹⁰⁰ is an aryl group,and when a plurality of AR¹⁰⁰s are present, they may be the same ordifferent from each other.

AR¹⁰⁰ may be a group derived from any aromatic ring such as a benzenering, a naphthalene ring, an anthracene ring, a phenanthrene ring, apyridine ring, a thiophene ring, or a pyrene ring. The aromatic ringfurther may have one or more substituents thereon, and when a pluralityof substituents are present, they may be the same or different from eachother. AR¹⁰⁰ may be a phenyl group, for example.

R¹⁰⁰ preferably is at least one selected from the group consisting of ahydrogen atom, alkyl groups, aryl groups, and acyl groups. The alkylgroup preferably is a straight-chain or branched alkyl group having 1 to6 carbon atoms, and a methyl group is particularly preferable. The acylgroup preferably is a straight-chain or branched acyl group having 1 to6 carbon atoms. The aryl group is the same as AR¹⁰⁰, for example, and isa phenyl group, for example.

R²⁰⁰ preferably is at least one selected from the group consisting of ahydrogen atom, alkyl groups, aryl groups, and acyl groups. The alkylgroup preferably is a straight-chain or branched alkyl group having 1 to6 carbon atoms, and a methyl group is particularly preferable. The acylgroup preferably is a straight-chain or branched acyl group having 1 to6 carbon atoms. The aryl group is the same as AR¹⁰⁰, for example, and isa phenyl group, for example. As —NR²⁰⁰ ₂, an amino group substitutedwith an electron donor substituent, such as a dimethylamino group or adiphenylamino group, is preferable because of its particularly highelectron-donating properties.

Furthermore, the raw material aromatic compound may be such that, forexample, a substituent such as an alkyl group is covalently bound to thearomatic ring, and the substituent may be oxidized in the step ofgenerating the oxidation reaction product. For example, the oxidizingagent may contain an oxygen atom, the raw material aromatic compound maycontain a methylene group (—CH₂—) covalently bound to the aromatic ring,and in the step of generating the oxidation reaction product, themethylene group (—CH₂—) may be converted to a carbonyl group (—CO—) byoxidation. In this case, an atom or atomic group that is bound to themethylene group and the carbonyl group is not particularly limited, andexamples thereof include a hydrogen atom, alkyl groups, and aryl groups.The alkyl group preferably is a straight-chain or branched alkyl grouphaving 1 to 6 carbon atoms. The alkyl group and aryl group may furtherbe substituted with one or more substituents. When they are substitutedwith a plurality of substituents, the substituents may be the same ordifferent from each other. For example, the methylene group becomes amethyl group (—CH₃) when hydrogen is bound thereto, and it becomes aformyl group (—CHO) after oxidation. The methylene group becomes anethyl group (—CH₂CH₃) when a methyl group is bound thereto, and itbecomes an acetyl group (—COCH₃) after oxidation. The methylene groupbecomes a benzyl group (—CH₂Ph) when a phenyl group is bound thereto,and it becomes a benzoyl group (—COPh) after oxidation. Alternatively,for example, the substituent (before being oxidized) covalently bound toan aromatic ring may be a formyl group (—CHO), and may become a carboxygroup (—COOH) after oxidation.

The substance to be oxidized may be an olefin, for example, and theolefin may be an aromatic olefin or an aliphatic olefin, for example.The olefin may be an olefin represented by the following chemicalformula (A1), for example. Furthermore, the oxidation reaction productof the olefin is not particularly limited, and, for example, may containat least one of an epoxide and a diol as in the following scheme A. Ineach of the following chemical formulae (A1), (A2), and (A3), Rs eachmay be a hydrogen atom or any substituent, and Rs may be the same ordifferent from each other. The substituent may be, for example, an alkylgroup, an unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbon group, an aryl group, aheteroaryl group, a halogen, a hydroxy group (—OH), a mercapto group(—SH), or an alkylthio group (—SR and R are each an alkyl group), andthe substituent may or may not be substituted with another substituent.The alkyl group preferably is a straight-chain or branched alkyl grouphaving 1 to 6 carbon atoms. Furthermore, the olefin, which is asubstance to be oxidized, may be an olefin containing one olefin bond(carbon-carbon double bond) or an olefin containing two or more olefinbonds.

The olefin may be, for example, an aromatic olefin. That is, forexample, in the chemical formula (A1), at least one of Rs may be anaromatic ring (an aryl group or a heteroaryl group). In the secondaspect of the present invention, the aromatic olefin is not particularlylimited. It is preferable that an electron donor group is bound to anaromatic ring of the aromatic olefin, for example, because this allowsan oxidation reaction (including an oxidative substitution reaction) ofthe aromatic olefin to proceed more easily. The number of the electrondonor groups may be one or more, and the electron donor group with astrong electron-donating property is preferable. More specifically, itis more preferable that the aromatic olefin is such that at least onesubstituent selected from the group consisting of —OR¹⁰⁰, —NR²⁰⁰ ₂, andAR¹⁰⁰ is covalently bound to the aromatic ring.

In the oxidation reaction product production method of the second aspectof the present invention, the olefin may be at least one selected fromthe group consisting of ethylene, propylene, styrene, and butadiene.Furthermore, the oxidation reaction product may be, as described above,at least one of an epoxide and a diol, for example. The examples thereofare shown in the following schemes A1 to A3. It is to be noted, however,that the schemes A1 to A3 are merely illustrative examples, and in thepresent invention, the oxidation reactions of ethylene, propylene andstyrene are not limited thereto.

In oxidization of an olefin (for example, the olefin (A1) in the schemeA), for example, by adjusting the concentration of at least one of: theLewis acid and/or Brønsted acid; the radical source; and the oxidizingagent, oxidation reaction products can be selectively generated. Forexample, an epoxide is prone to be obtained when the concentrations arelow with respect to the substance to be oxidized and a diol is prone tobe obtained when the concentrations are high with respect to thesubstance to be oxidized, although the present invention is not limitedthereto. Furthermore, for example, instead of changing theconcentrations, by changing the intensity of the reactivity of a radicalspecies generated from the radical source, oxidation reaction productscan be selectively generated. For example, an epoxide is prone to beobtained with a radical species having low reactivity and a diol isprone to be obtained with a radical species having high reactivity,although the present invention is not limited thereto. It is to be notedthat the use of the oxidation reaction product is not particularlylimited. For example, when the substance to be oxidized (raw materialaromatic compound) is styrene, styrene oxide can be utilized as anadhesive agent and a diol can be utilized as a perfume. As describedabove, the epoxide and the diol are in demand for different uses. Thus,the selective production of the epoxide and the diol by controlling thereaction condition allows the second aspect of the present invention tobe applied to further wider uses.

Description of Embodiments of Third and Fourth Aspects of Invention

First, embodiments of the third and fourth aspects of the presentinvention will be described. It is to be noted, however, that the thirdand fourth aspects of the present invention are not limited by thefollowing descriptions.

[1. Drug]

As described above, the drug according to the third aspect of thepresent invention is a drug characterized in that it contains: a radicalgenerating catalyst; and a radical source, wherein the radicalgenerating catalyst includes either or both of: ammonium and/or a saltthereof; and a substance having Lewis acidic properties and/or Brønstedacidic properties. In the drug of the third aspect of the presentinvention, other configurations or conditions are not particularlylimited. The ammonium also may serve as the substance having Lewisacidic properties and/or Brønsted acidic properties.

As described above, the drug for use in agriculture and livestockindustry according to the fourth aspect of the present invention is adrug characterized in that it contains: a radical generating catalyst;and a radical source, wherein the radical generating catalyst includeseither or both of: ammonium and/or a salt thereof; and a substancehaving Lewis acidic properties and/or Brønsted acidic properties. Thatis, the drug for use in agriculture and livestock industry according tothe fourth aspect of the present invention is the drug according to thethird aspect of the present invention used as a drug for use inagriculture and livestock industry, and the fourth aspect of the presentinvention is part of the third aspect of the present invention. In thedrug for use in agriculture and livestock industry according to thefourth aspect of the present invention, other configurations orconditions are not particularly limited

The drug for use in agriculture and livestock industry according to thefourth aspect of the present invention is highly safe and has a highsterilizing effect. Thus, the drug for use in agriculture and livestockindustry according to the fourth aspect of the present invention can beused widely for sterilization, deodorization, etc. in agriculture andlivestock industry, for example. Further, the drug for use inagriculture and livestock industry according to the fourth aspect of thepresent invention is less liable to cause corrosion, for example. Evenwhen the drug is applied to metals, corrosion of the metals is lessliable to occur. Thus, the drug for use in agriculture and livestockindustry according to the fourth aspect of the present invention can beused for a target object containing a metal, for example.

The inventors of the present invention found out through research thatammonium serves as a radical generating catalyst. As a result of furtherresearch, the inventors of the present invention further found out thatammonium serving as a radical generating catalyst may have properties asa Lewis acid. That is, while the reason why the ammonium serves as aradical generating catalyst is not clear, it is presumably because theammonium has a function as a Lewis acid. As a result of still furtherresearch, the inventors of the present invention discovered a radicalgenerating catalyst including a substance having Lewis acidic propertiesand/or Brønsted acidic properties. In the third aspect of the presentinvention, the “Lewis acid” refers to a substance that acts as a Lewisacid with respect to the radical source, for example.

The Lewis acidity of the radical generating catalyst contained in thedrug of the third aspect of the present invention (may be referred to as“the radical generating catalyst of the third aspect of the presentinvention” hereinafter) is, for example, 0.4 eV or more. The upper limitof the Lewis acidity is not particularly limited, and is, for example,20 eV or less. It is to be noted that the Lewis acidity can be measured,for example, by the method described in Ohkubo, K.; Fukuzumi, S. Chem.Eur. J., 2000, 6, 4532, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2002, 124, 10270-10271 or themethod described in J. Org. Chem. 2003, 68, 4720-4726. Specifically, theLewis acidity can be measured by the following method.

(Measurement Method of Lewis Acidity)

As to acetonitrile (MeCN) that contains cobalt tetraphenylporphyrin,saturated O₂, and an object whose Lewis acidity is to be measured (e.g.,a cation of a metal or the like, represented by M^(n+) in the followingchemical reaction formula (1a)) in the following chemical reactionformula (1a), the change of the ultraviolet-visible absorption spectrumis measured at room temperature. On the basis of the obtained reactionrate constant (k_(cat)), the ΔE value (eV), which is an indicator of theLewis acidity, can be calculated. The higher the k_(cat), the strongerthe Lewis acidity. Furthermore, the Lewis acidity of an organic compoundcan be estimated from the energy level of the lowest unoccupiedmolecular orbital (LUMO) calculated by the quantum chemical calculation.The higher the value at the positive side, the stronger the Lewisacidity.

Examples of the rate constant of reaction between CoTPP and oxygen inthe presence of a Lewis acid, which is an indicator of the Lewis aciditymeasured (calculated) by the above-described measurement method, areshown below. In the following table, the numerical value expressed inthe unit “k_(cat), M⁻²s⁻¹” is a rate constant of reaction between CoTPPand oxygen in the presence of a Lewis acid. The numerical valueexpressed in the unit “LUMO, eV” is the energy level of LUMO. The“benzetonium chloride” means benzethonium chloride, “benzalkoniumchloride” means benzalkonium chloride, “tetramethylammoniumhexafluorophosphate” means tetramethylammonium hexafluorophosphate,“tetrabutylammonium hexafluorophosphate” means tetrabutylammoniumhexafluorophosphate, and “ammonium hexafluorophosphate” means ammoniumhexafluorophosphate (Note from translator: in the original text inJapanese, the above sentence explains the meanings of the English termsin the table in Japanese).

TABLE tpp LUMO, eV k _(cat), M⁻² s⁻¹ benzetonium chloride −4.12 0.24benzalkonium chloride −4.02 0.18 tetramethylammonium hexafluorophosphate−3.58 >0.1 tetrabutylammonium hexafluorophosphate −2.07 >0.1 ammoniumhexafluorophosphate −5.73 20

In the radical generating catalyst of the third aspect of the presentinvention, the ammonium may be quaternary ammonium, or may be tertiaryammonium, secondary ammonium, primary ammonium, or ammonium, forexample.

In the radical generating catalyst of the third aspect of the presentinvention, the ammonium or the substance having Lewis acidic propertiesand/or Brønsted acidic properties may be, for example, a cationicsurfactant, which may be a quaternary ammonium-type cationic surfactant.Examples of the quaternary ammonium-type cationic surfactant includebenzalkonium chloride, benzethonium chloride, cetylpyridinium chloride,hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide, dequalinium chloride, edrophonium,didecyldimethylammonium chloride, tetramethylammonium chloride,tetrabutylammonium chloride, benzyltriethylammonium chloride,oxytropium, carbachol, glycopyrronium, safranin, sinapine,tetraethylammonium bromide, hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide,suxamethonium, sphingomyelin, denatonium, trigonelline, neostigmine,paraquat, pyridostigmine, phellodendrine, pralidoxime methiodide,betaine, betanin, bethanechol, betalain, lecithin, and cholines (e.g.,choline chlorides [such as benzoyl choline chloride and a lauroylcholinechloride hydrate], phosphocholine, acetylcholine, choline,dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine, and choline bitartrate). It is to benoted, however, that, in the radical production method of the thirdaspect of the present invention, the quaternary ammonium is not limitedto a surfactant. Also, in the radical generating catalyst of the thirdaspect of the present invention, one type of ammonium or a salt thereofmay be used, or two or more types of ammonium or salts thereof may beused in combination, for example, and one type of substance having Lewisacidic properties and/or Brønsted acidic properties may be used, or twoor more types of substances having Lewis acidic properties and/orBrønsted acidic properties may be used in combination, for example (thesame applies hereinafter).

In the radical generating catalyst of the third aspect of the presentinvention, the ammonium may be ammonium represented by the followingchemical formula (XI), for example.

In the chemical formula (XI), R¹¹, R²¹, R³¹, and R⁴¹ are each a hydrogenatom or an alkyl group (e.g., a straight-chain or branched alkyl grouphaving 1 to 40 carbon atoms) and may each include an ether bond, aketone (carbonyl group), an ester bond, or an amide bond, or an aromaticring. R²¹, R³¹, and R⁴¹ may be the same or different from each other. X⁻is an anion.

The ammonium represented by the chemical formula (XI) may be ammoniumrepresented by the following chemical formula (XII), for example.

In the chemical formula (XII), R¹¹¹ is an alkyl group having 5 to 40carbon atoms and may comprise an ether bond, a ketone (carbonyl group),an ester bond, or an amide bond, or an aromatic ring, and R²¹ and X⁻ arethe same as those in the chemical formula (XI).

In the chemical formula (XII), R²¹ may be a methyl group or a benzylgroup, for example. In the benzyl group, one or more hydrogen atoms onthe benzene ring may or may not be substituted with any substituent. Thesubstituent may be, for example, an alkyl group, an unsaturatedaliphatic hydrocarbon group, an aryl group, a heteroaryl group, ahalogen, a hydroxy group (—OH), a mercapto group (—SH), or an alkylthiogroup (—SR, where R is an alkyl group).

The ammonium represented by the chemical formula (XII) may be ammoniumrepresented by the following chemical formula (XIII), for example.

In the chemical formula (XIII), R¹¹¹ and X⁻ are the same as those in thechemical formula (XII).

The ammonium represented by the chemical formula (XI) may be, forexample, at least one selected from the group consisting of benzethoniumchloride, benzalkonium chloride, hexadecyltrimethylammonium chloride,tetramethylammonium chloride, ammonium chloride, and tetrabutylammoniumchloride. It is particularly preferable that the ammonium represented bythe chemical formula (XII) is benzethonium chloride.

Benzethonium chloride (Bzn⁺Cl⁻) can be represented by the followingchemical formula, for example. Benzalkonium chloride can be, forexample, a compound represented by the chemical formula (XIII) whereR¹¹¹ is an alkyl group having 8 to 18 carbon atoms and X⁻ is a chlorideion.

In the chemical formulae (XI), (XII), and (XIII), X⁻ may be any anionand is not particularly limited. X⁻ is not limited to a monovalentanion, and may be an anion with any valence, such as a divalent anion ora trivalent anion. When the anion is an anion with a plurality ofelectric charges, such as a divalent anion or a trivalent anion, thenumber of molecules of the ammonium (monovalent) in each of the chemicalformulae (XI), (XII), and (XIII) is determined by, for example, [thenumber of molecules of the anion×the valence of the anion] (e.g., whenthe anion is divalent, the number of molecules of the ammonium(monovalent) is twice the number of molecules of the anion). X⁻ may be,for example, a halogen ion (a fluoride ion, a chloride ion, a bromideion, or an iodide ion), an acetate ion, a nitrate ion, or a sulfate ion.

In the third aspect of the present invention, the ammonium may include aplurality of ammonium structures (N⁺) in one molecule. Further, theammonium may form a dimer, trimer, or the like by association of aplurality of molecules through a π electron interaction, for example.

In the radical generating catalyst of the third aspect of the presentinvention, the acid dissociation constant pK_(a) of the Brønsted acidis, for example, 5 or more. The upper limit of the pK_(a) is notparticularly limited and is, for example, 50 or less.

In the radical generating catalyst of the third aspect of the presentinvention, the substance having Lewis acidic properties and/or Brønstedacidic properties may be an organic compound (e.g., the above-describedorganic ammonium or cationic surfactant) or an inorganic substance. Theinorganic substance may include one or both of metal ions and nonmetalions. The metal ion may include one or both of typical metal ions andtransition metal ions. The inorganic substance may be, for example, atleast one selected from the group consisting of alkali earth metal ions,rare earth ions, Sc³⁺, Li⁺, Fe²⁺, Fe³⁺, Al³⁺, silicate ions, and borateions. Examples of the alkali earth metal ion include ions of calcium,strontium, barium, and radium. More specifically, examples of the alkaliearth metal ion include Ca²⁺, Sr²⁺, Ba²⁺, and Ra²⁺. Furthermore the“rare earth metal” is a generic name of a set of seventeen elements,specifically, two elements such as scandium₂₁Sc and yttrium₃₉Y andfifteen elements (lanthanoids) from lanthanum₅₇La to lutetium₇₁Lu.Examples of the rare earth ion include corresponding trivalent cationsof the seventeen elements.

The Lewis acid (including the counter ion) may be, for example, at leastone selected from the group consisting of CaCl₂, MgCl₂, FeCl₂, FeCl₃,AlCl₃, AlMeCl₂, AlMe₂Cl, BF₃, BPh₃, BMe₃, TiCl₄, SiF₄, and SiCl₄. It isto be noted that the “Ph” indicates a phenyl group and the “Me”indicates a methyl group.

In the radical generating catalyst of the third aspect of the presentinvention, the radical generating catalyst can be selected asappropriate depending on the intended use thereof, with considerationgiven to the reactivity, acidity, safety, etc.

In the drug of the third aspect of the present invention, the radicalsource may include, for example, at least one selected from the groupconsisting of halogen ions, hypohalite ions, halite ions, halate ions,and perhalate ions. Particularly preferably, the radical source includesa chlorite ion, for example. The radical source may include, forexample, an oxoacid or a salt thereof (e.g., a halogen oxoacid or a saltthereof). Examples of the oxoacid include boric acid, carbonic acid,orthocarbonic acid, carboxylic acid, silicic acid, nitrous acid, nitricacid, phosphorous acid, phosphoric acid, arsenic acid, sulfurous acid,sulfuric acid, sulfonic acid, sulfinic acid, chromic acid, dichromicacid, and permanganic acid. Examples of the halogen oxoacid include:chlorine oxoacids such as hypochlorous acid, chlorous acid, chloricacid, and perchloric acid; bromine oxoacids such as hypobromous acid,bromous acid, bromic acid, and perbromic acid; and iodine oxoacids suchas hypoiodous acid, iodous acid, iodic acid, and periodic acid. Amongthe oxoacids, for example, chlorine oxoacids and salts thereof arepreferable, and chlorous acids and salts thereof are more preferable, interms of the sterilizing effect, risk, safety, etc. One type of radicalsource may be used, or two or more types of radical sources may be usedin combination, for example (the same applies hereinafter).

The radical source may be selected as appropriate depending on the usethereof, with consideration given to the intensity of reactivity of aradical species, etc., for example. For example, hypochlorous acidexhibiting high reactivity or chlorous acid exhibiting somewhat lowerreactivity than the hypochlorous acid and allowing a reaction to becontrolled more easily may be used as appropriate depending on theintended use.

In the third aspect of the present invention, when the compound (e.g.,the organic ammonium) has isomers such as tautomers and stereoisomers(e.g., a geometric isomer, a conformer, and an optical isomer), anyisomer can be used in the third aspect of the present invention, unlessotherwise stated. When the compound (e.g., the organic ammonium) canform a salt, the salt also can be used in the third aspect of thepresent invention, unless otherwise stated. The salt may be an acidaddition salt, or may be a base addition salt. Moreover, an acid thatforms the acid addition salt may be either an inorganic acid or anorganic acid, and a base that forms the base addition salt may be eitheran inorganic base or an organic base. The inorganic acid is notparticularly limited, and examples thereof include sulfuric acid,phosphoric acid, hydrofluoric acid, hydrochloric acid, hydrobromic acid,hydroiodic acid, hypofluorous acid, hypochlorous acid, hypobromous acid,hypoiodous acid, fluorous acid, chlorous acid, bromous acid, iodousacid, fluorine acid, chloric acid, bromic acid, iodic acid, perfluoricacid, perchloric acid, perbromic acid, and periodic acid. The organicacid also is not particularly limited, and examples thereof includep-toluenesulfonic acid, methanesulfonic acid, oxalic acid,p-bromobenzenesulfonic acid, carbonic acid, succinic acid, citric acid,benzoic acid, and acetic acid. The inorganic base is not particularlylimited, and examples thereof include ammonium hydroxides, alkali metalhydroxides, alkaline-earth metal hydroxides, carbonates, andhydrogencarbonates. More specifically, the inorganic base may be, forexample, sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, potassium carbonate,sodium carbonate, sodium hydrogencarbonate, potassium hydrogencarbonate,calcium hydroxide, and calcium carbonate. The organic base also is notparticularly limited, and examples thereof include ethanolamine,triethylamine, and tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane. The method forproducing these salts also is not particularly limited. For example,they can be produced by adding an acid or a base such as described aboveto the compound as appropriate by a known method.

Moreover, in the third aspect of the present invention, a chainsubstituent (e.g., an alkyl group, hydrocarbon groups such as anunsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbon group, etc.) may be straight-chain orbranched, unless otherwise stated, and the number of carbons thereof isnot particularly limited, and may be, for example, 1 to 40, 1 to 32, 1to 24, 1 to 18, 1 to 12, 1 to 6, or 1 to 2 (at least 2 in the case of anunsaturated hydrocarbon group). Furthermore, in the third aspect of thepresent invention, as to a cyclic group (e.g., an aryl group, aheteroaryl group, etc.), the number of ring members (the number of atomsthat compose a ring) is not particularly limited and may be, forexample, 5 to 32, 5 to 24, 6 to 18, 6 to 12, or 6 to 10. When asubstituent or the like has isomers, any isomer can be used, unlessotherwise stated. For example, in the case of simply describing as a“naphthyl group”, it may be a 1-naphthyl group or a 2-naphthyl group.

In the drug of the third aspect of the present invention, the content ofthe radical source (e.g., oxoacids and the like) is not particularlylimited, and is, for example, 0.01 mass ppm or more, 0.05 mass ppm ormore, 0.1 mass ppm or more, 1500 mass ppm or less, 1000 mass ppm orless, or 250 mass ppm or less. The amount of the radical source (e.g.,oxoacids and the like) mixed in a drug preferably is from 0.01 to 1500mass ppm, more preferably from 0.05 to 1000 mass ppm, and still morepreferably from 0.1 to 250 mass ppm. The concentration of the radicalsource preferably is low, because it is considered that the safety levelincreases as the concentration becomes lower. However, if theconcentration of the radical source is too low, the sterilizing effector the like may not be obtained. From the viewpoint of the sterilizingeffect and the like, the concentration of the radical source is notparticularly limited, and preferably is set as high as possible.

In the drug of the third aspect of the present invention, the content ofthe radical generating catalyst (e.g., ammonium, a cationic surfactant,or the like) is not particularly limited, and is, for example, 0.01 massppm or more, 0.05 mass ppm or more, 0.1 mass ppm or more, 1500 mass ppmor less, 1000 mass ppm or less, 500 mass ppm or less, or 250 mass ppm orless. The amount of the radical generating catalyst (e.g., ammonium, acationic surfactant, or the like) mixed in the drug preferably is from0.01 to 1500 mass ppm, more preferably from 0.05 to 1000 mass ppm, stillmore preferably from 0.05 to 500 mass ppm, and yet more preferably from0.1 to 250 mass ppm. The concentration of the radical generatingcatalyst preferably is low, because it is considered that the safetylevel increases as the concentration becomes lower. However, if theconcentration of the radical generating catalyst is too low, thesterilizing effect or the like may not be obtained. From the viewpointof preventing the risk that the sterilizing effect or the like may notbe obtained owing to micelle formation, it is preferable that theconcentration of the radical generating catalyst is equal to or lowerthan the critical micelle concentration.

In the drug of the third aspect of the present invention, theconcentration ratio of the radical source and the radical generatingcatalyst (radical source/radical generating catalyst) in the drug is notparticularly limited, and can be set as appropriate.

The drug of the third aspect of the present invention further maycontain one or more other substances. Examples of the other substancesinclude water, organic solvents, pH adjusters, and buffers. One type ofthem may be used, or two or more types of them may be used incombination (the same applies hereinafter). The water is notparticularly limited, and preferably is purified water, ion-exchangewater, or pure water, for example.

The drug of the third aspect of the present invention preferablycontains water and/or an organic solvent. In the third aspect of thepresent invention, the “solvent” may or may not dissolve the radicalgenerating catalyst of the third aspect of the present invention, theradical source, and the like. For example, after the mixing step, theradical generating catalyst of the third aspect of the present inventionand the radical source may each be in a state of being dissolved in thesolvent, or may each be in a state of being dispersed or precipitated inthe solvent. In the drug of the third aspect of the present invention,it is preferable to use water as a solvent for the radical generatingcatalyst of the third aspect of the present invention and the radicalsource from the viewpoint of safety, cost, etc. The organic solvent maybe, for example, ketone such as acetone, a nitrile solvent such asacetonitrile, or an alcohol solvent such as ethanol. One type of solventmay be used alone, or two or more types of solvents may be used incombination. The type of the solvent may be selected as appropriatedepending on the solubility of the solutes (e.g., the radical generatingcatalyst of the third aspect of the present invention, the radicalsource, and the like) etc., for example.

The drug of the third aspect of the present invention can be producedby, for example, mixing the radical source and the radical generatingcatalyst, and optionally the water and/or organic solvent whennecessary. For example, the drug of the third aspect of the presentinvention can be obtained in manners described in the followingexamples. It is to be noted, however, that the method for producing thedrug of the third aspect of the present invention is not limitedthereto. As described above, the drug further may contain one or moresubstances other than the radical source and the radical generatingcatalyst.

The drug for use in agriculture and livestock industry according to thefourth aspect of the present invention preferably contains water, forexample. However, the drug may not necessarily contain water. The amountof the water mixed (the proportion of the water) in the drug for use inagriculture and livestock industry is not particularly limited. Theproportion of the water may be the balance of the drug excluding theother components, for example. The drug for use in agriculture andlivestock industry further may or may not contain, as the othersubstance(s), the pH adjuster, a buffer, and/or the like, for example.

The method of using the drug of the third aspect of the presentinvention is not particularly limited. For example, the drug of thethird aspect of the present invention can be used in the same manners asthose for conventional bactericides and the like. Specifically, the drugof the third aspect of the present invention may be sprayed on orapplied to a target object, for example. Specifically, for example, whenthe drug is used for deodorization of a space, the drug can be sprayedin the space. When the drug is use for oral cavity, the drug may be inthe form of an aqueous solution so that it can be used for gargling andoral rinsing. When the drug is used for disinfection of a decubitusulcer, the drug can be applied to an affected area. For an affected areasuch as a self-destructive wound caused by cancer or a lesion caused byringworm fungi or the like, absorbent cotton or gauze impregnated withthe drug may be applied to the affected area. When the drug is used forhand washing, it may be in the form of an aqueous solution so that itcan be rubbed into hands. Medical instruments and the like can be washedwith the drug by spraying the drug on them or immersing them in anaqueous solution containing the drug. Further, the drug may be appliedto surroundings of beds, tables, doorknobs, and the like for the purposeof sterilization and prevention of infection with bacteria or the like.

(Bactericide)

The drug of the third aspect of the present invention can be used as abactericide, for example. Although various types of substances have beenused as a bactericide conventionally, the sterilizing effects of thesesubstances are not sufficient. Some of them can exhibit enhancedsterilizing effects by increasing their concentrations. However, thisposes a problem in safety. A bactericide containing the drug of thethird aspect of the present invention can exhibit a sufficientsterilizing effect while the concentration of the drug is low and ishighly safe.

(Bactericide for Hand Washing)

The drug of the third aspect of the present invention can be used as abactericide for hand washing to disinfect hands, for example. Thebactericide for hand washing containing the drug of the third aspect ofthe present invention can exhibit a sufficient sterilizing effect whilethe concentration of the drug is low and is highly safe.

(Deodorizer)

The drug of the third aspect of the present invention can be used as adeodorizer, for example. Commonly used bactericides, such as ethanol, donot have a deodorizing effect. While chlorine dioxide has a deodorizingeffect, the safety level thereof is very low. Some of other commerciallyavailable products purport to have sterilizing and deodorizing effects.For example, there are commercially available products purporting toexhibit sterilizing and deodorizing effects by spraying them ontoclothes directly or spraying them in rooms, toilets, cars, or the like.Such commercially available products typically contain a quaternaryammonium salt as a sterilizing component. However, a commonly usedquaternary ammonium salt is not used in combination with a radicalsource (e.g., an oxoacid or the like). Thus, in many cases, a sufficientsterilizing effect cannot be obtained unless the quaternary ammoniumsalt is contained at a high concentration, and this causes a problem ofsurface tackiness or the like after use. Further, since the quaternaryammonium salt does not have a deodorizing effect, the commerciallyavailable products contain a deodorant component as an additionalcomponent. While cyclodextrin typically is used as the deodorantcomponent, the cyclodextrin is incapable of decomposing componentscausing offensive odors. The cyclodextrin merely masks the componentscausing offensive odors and cannot eliminate the offensive odorsthemselves. In contrast, the deodorizer containing the drug of the thirdaspect of the present invention, which has the above-described actionmechanism, has a high sterilizing effect, for example, and also, iscapable of decomposing substances that cause offensive odors and thushas a high deodorizing effect, for example.

(Antibacterial Agent for Metals)

The drug of the third aspect of the present invention can be used as anantibacterial agent for metals, for example. An antibacterial agentcontaining the drug of the third aspect of the present invention ishighly safe, so that it can be sprayed on or applied to metal productsin the kitchen, for example. Also, the antibacterial agent containingthe drug of the third aspect of the present invention is less liable tocause corrosion. Thus, even when the antibacterial agent is used onmetals, corrosion of the metals is less liable to occur.

(Oral Care Agent)

The drug of the third aspect of the present invention can be used as anoral care agent, for example. An oral care agent containing the drug ofthe third aspect of the present invention is highly safe and thussuitable for use in the oral cavity.

(Acne Treatment Agent)

The drug of the third aspect of the present invention can be used as anacne treatment agent, for example. An acne treatment agent containingthe drug of the third aspect of the present invention is highly safe andthus can be applied to the face.

(Disinfectant for Decubitus Ulcers)

The drug of the third aspect of the present invention can be used as adisinfectant for decubitus ulcers, for example. The disinfectant fordecubitus ulcers containing the drug of the third aspect of the presentinvention is highly safe and thus can be applied to the body.

(Fungicide)

The drug of the third aspect of the present invention can be used as afungicide for disinfecting an affected part caused by infection withfungi such as ringworm fungi, for example.

(Bactericide for Water Purification)

The drug of the third aspect of the present invention can kill bacteria,such as Legionella bacteria, breeding in water in swimming pools andbaths, for example. Besides, it does not corrode metals and does notgenerate gas. Therefore, the bactericide for water purificationcontaining the drug of the third aspect of the present invention can beused safely.

As described above, the drug for use in agriculture and livestockindustry according to the fourth aspect of the present invention ishighly safe and has a high sterilizing effect. Thus, the drug for use inagriculture and livestock industry can be used as a drug for use inagriculture, a drug for use in livestock industry, or the like, forexample. The drug for use in agriculture can be used as, for example, abactericide for use in agriculture, an antiviral agent for use inagriculture, a deodorizer for use in agriculture, an insecticide for usein agriculture, a repellent for use in agriculture, or a soilconditioner for use in agriculture. The drug for use in livestockindustry can be used as, for example, a bactericides for use inlivestock industry, an antiviral agent for use in livestock industry, adeodorizer for use in livestock industry, an insecticide for use inlivestock industry, a repellent for use in livestock industry, or a soilconditioners for use in livestock industry. The drug for use inagriculture and livestock industry may be applied to one use or two ormore uses, for example.

Examples of the agriculture include rice farming and dry-field farming.Examples of the dry-field farming include production of: vegetables suchas cucumbers, tomatoes, green onions, Chinese cabbages, and soybeans;tubers and roots, such as potatoes; flowers and ornamental plants, suchas chrysanthemums grown with artificial light, clematis, and Lady Banks'roses (Rosa banksiae); fruits such as strawberries; and fertilizers.Examples of the livestock include industrial animals such as cows, pigs,and chickens.

When the drug for use in agriculture and livestock industry according tothe fourth aspect of the present invention is used for the rice farming,the drug for use in agriculture and livestock industry can be used as abactericide, an insecticide, a repellent, or a soil conditioner, forexample. Specifically, for example, by using the drug for use inagriculture and livestock industry during soaking of rice seeds, it ispossible to prevent the generation of slime and to reduce the burden ofwater replacement operations. Further, for example, by using the drugfor use in agriculture and livestock industry during seed soaking,stimulation of germination, and seeding, it is possible to prevent riceblast, spot blight, false smut, bakanae disease, and the like. Forexample, by spreading the drug for use in agriculture and livestockindustry over rice fields, it is possible to protect rice from shieldbugs, pest insects, and the like. For example, by spreading the drug foruse in agriculture and livestock industry during ploughing andirrigation of rice fields, it is possible to improve the soil.

When the drug for use in agriculture and livestock industry according tothe fourth aspect of the present invention is used for dry-fieldfarming, the drug for use in agriculture and livestock industry can beused as a bactericide, an antiviral agent, a soil conditioner, or thelike, for example. Specifically, for example, by spreading the drug foruse in agriculture and livestock industry over leaves of cucumbers,tomatoes, or strawberries, it is possible to prevent powdery mildew,mosaic disease, and the like. For example, by spreading the drug for usein agriculture and livestock industry over leaves of tomatoes, it ispossible to prevent gray mold, leaf mold, and the like. For example, byspreading the drug for use in agriculture and livestock industry overleaves of green onions, it is possible to prevent brown leaf rust andthe like. For example, by spreading the drug for use in agriculture andlivestock industry over leaves of Chinese cabbages, it is possible toprevent root-knot disease and the like. For example, by spreading thedrug for use in agriculture and livestock industry over a potato fieldafter being cultivated using a tractor or the like and then cultivatingthe field again, it is possible to prevent replant failure and the like.For example, by immersing seed potatoes in the drug for use inagriculture and livestock industry, it is possible to disinfect(sterilize) the seed potatoes. For example, by spreading the drug foruse in agriculture and livestock industry over leaves of potatoes aplurality of times in a period from germination to harvest of thepotatoes, it is possible to prevent common scab and the like. Forexample, by spreading the drug for use in agriculture and livestockindustry over chrysanthemums grown with artificial light, clematis, andLady Banks' roses (Rosa banksiae), it is possible to prevent powderymildew and the like.

When the drug for use in agriculture and livestock industry according tothe fourth aspect of the present invention is used for the livestockindustry, the drug for use in agriculture and livestock industry can beused as a bactericide, a deodorizer, or the like, for example.Specifically, for example, by using the drug for use in agriculture andlivestock industry as a dipping agent for cows, it is possible toprevent mastitis and the like. For example, by using the drug for use inagriculture and livestock industry in a hoof bath for a cow or byapplying the drug for use in agriculture and livestock industry to anaffected area of a cow infected with a hoof disease, it is possible toprevent or treat the hoof disease and the like. For example, by sprayingthe drug for use in agriculture and livestock industry on a cow with asprayer or the like, it is possible to prevent respiratory diseases,foot-and-mouth disease, and the like. For example, by spraying the drugfor use in agriculture and livestock industry in a livestock barn or thelike for cows, pigs, or chickens with a sprayer or the like, it ispossible to deodorize the livestock barn or the like. For example, byusing the drug for use in agriculture and livestock industry for heneggs, it is possible to disinfect (sterilize) the hen eggs.

The drug for use in agriculture and livestock industry according to thefourth aspect of the present invention may be sprayed on, applied to, orspread over a target object, or the target object may be immersed in thedrug for use in agriculture and livestock industry, for example.Specifically, when the drug is used to deodorize a space, the drug maybe sprayed in the space, for example. When the drug is used for anaffected area of a hoof disease or the like, absorbent cotton, gauze, orthe like impregnated with the drug may be applied to the affected area,for example. When the drug is used for hand washing, the drug may be inthe form of an aqueous solution so that it can be rubbed into hands, forexample. Medical instruments and the like can be washed with the drug byspraying the drug on them or immersing them in an aqueous solutioncontaining the drug. When the drug for use in agriculture and livestockindustry is used for a machine used in livestock barns, such as anautomobile, an agricultural machine, or a forklift, the drug may besprayed on the machine, or the machine may be washed with the drug, forexample. When the drug for use in agriculture and livestock industry isused for deodorization of the above-described industrial animals, thedrug may be sprayed with a sprayer or the like or may be spread with aspreader or the like, for example. Hen eggs can be sterilized byapplying the drug to the hen eggs, for example.

<Disinfectant for Use in Agriculture and Livestock Industry>

A bactericide for use in agriculture and livestock industry according tothe fourth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that itcontains the drug for use in agriculture and livestock industryaccording to the fourth aspect of the present invention. The drug foruse in agriculture and livestock industry according to the fourth aspectof the present invention can be used as a bactericide, for example.Although various types of substances have been used as a bactericideconventionally, the sterilizing effects of these substances are notsufficient. Some of them can exhibit enhanced sterilizing effects byincreasing their concentrations. However, this poses a problem insafety. A bactericide for use in agriculture and livestock industrycontaining the drug for use in agriculture and livestock industryaccording to the present invention can exhibit a sufficient sterilizingeffect while the concentration of the drug is low and is highly safe.

<Bactericide for Hand Washing for Use in Agriculture and LivestockIndustry>

The hand-washing bactericide for use in agriculture and livestockindustry according to the fourth aspect of the present invention ischaracterized in that it contains the drug for use in agriculture andlivestock industry according to the fourth aspect of the presentinvention. The drug for use in agriculture and livestock industryaccording to the present invention can be used as a bactericide for handwashing for use in agriculture and livestock industry to disinfecthands, for example. The hand-washing bactericide for use in agricultureand livestock industry including the drug for use in agriculture andlivestock industry according to the present invention can exhibit asufficient sterilizing effect while the concentration of the drug is lowand is highly safe.

<Deodorizer for Use in Agriculture and Livestock Industry>

The deodorizer for use in agriculture and livestock industry accordingto the fourth aspect of the present invention is characterized in thatit contains the drug for use in agriculture and livestock industryaccording to the fourth aspect of the present invention. The drug foruse in agriculture and livestock industry according to the presentinvention can be used as a deodorizer for use in agriculture andlivestock industry, for example. As a commonly used sterilizingcomponent, a quaternary ammonium salt typically is used. In many cases,a sufficient sterilizing effect cannot be obtained unless the quaternaryammonium salt is contained at a high concentration. This causes aproblem in safety. Further, since the quaternary ammonium salt does nothave a deodorizing effect, the commercially available products contain adeodorant component as an additional component. While cyclodextrintypically is used as the deodorant component, the cyclodextrin isincapable of decomposing components causing offensive odors. Thecyclodextrin merely masks the components causing offensive odors andcannot eliminate the offensive odors themselves. The deodorizer for usein agriculture and livestock industry including the drug for use inagriculture and livestock industry according to the present inventionhas a high sterilizing effect, and also, is capable of removingsubstances that cause offensive odors and thus has a high deodorizingeffect, for example.

<Fungicide for Use in Agriculture and Livestock Industry>

A fungicide for use in agriculture and livestock industry according tothe fourth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that itcontains the drug for use in agriculture and livestock industryaccording to the fourth aspect of the present invention. The fungicidefor use in agriculture and livestock industry according to the presentinvention can be used as a fungicide for disinfecting an affected partcaused by infection with fungi such as ringworm fungi, for example.

<Water Purifying Agent for Use in Agriculture and Livestock Industry>

The water purifying agent for use in agriculture and livestock industryaccording to the fourth aspect of the present invention is characterizedin that it contains the drug for use in agriculture and livestockindustry according to the fourth aspect of the present invention. Thewater purifying agent for use in agriculture and livestock industryaccording to the present invention can kill bacteria, such as Legionellabacteria, breeding in water used in agriculture and livestock industry,for example. The drug for use in agriculture and livestock industryaccording to the fourth aspect of the present invention does not corrodemetals and does not generate gas. Therefore, the water purifying agentfor use in agriculture and livestock industry containing the drug foruse in agriculture and livestock industry according to the fourth aspectof the present invention can be used safely. The water purifying agentfor use in agriculture and livestock industry according to the fourthaspect of the present invention can be used to kill bacteria containedin water or to improve quality of water, for example. Thus, the waterpurifying agent for use in agriculture and livestock industry accordingto the fourth aspect of the present invention also can be referred to asa bactericide for water for use in agriculture and livestock industry ora water quality improving agent for water for use in agriculture andlivestock industry, for example.

<Method of Using Drug for Use in Agriculture and Livestock Industry>

The method of using the drug for use in agriculture and livestockindustry according to the fourth aspect of the present invention ischaracterized in that it includes the step of bringing the drug for usein agriculture and livestock industry according to the present inventioninto contact with a target object. By the method of using the drug foruse in agriculture and livestock industry according to the presentinvention, it is possible to perform sterilization, deodorization, orthe like of the target object, for example.

EXAMPLES

Next, examples of the present invention will be described. It is to benoted, however, that the present invention is by no means limited to thefollowing examples.

Examples of First and Second Aspects of Invention

First, examples of the first and second aspects of the present inventionwill be described. Examples 1 to 7 of the second aspect of the presentinvention to be described below all relate to the second aspect of thepresent invention. Among them, Examples 2, 4, 6 and 7 of the secondaspect of the present invention also are examples of the first aspect ofthe present invention. Examples 1, 3, and 5 of the second aspect of thepresent invention are described as reference examples of the firstaspect of the present invention.

Example 1 of Second Aspect of Invention

In the present example, it was confirmed that efficient dihydroxylationof styrene can be performed by scandium triflate and sodium chlorite.Specifically, by the dihydroxylation of styrene by scandium triflate andchlorite ions (ClO₂) at ordinary temperature and atmospheric pressure,1-phenylethane-1,2-diol could be produced efficiently. It was confirmedthat the scandium triflate working as a strong Lewis acid generateschlorine dioxide radicals (ClO₂.) from the chlorite ions (ClO₂ ⁻) andincreases the reactivity of the chlorine dioxide radicals (ClO₂.).

Oxidization of an olefin to a 1,2-diol is an important industrialprocess for producing precursors of various types of chemical substancessuch as resins, pharmaceutical agents, dyes, insecticides, and perfumecompounds in the fields of fine chemicals and specialty chemicals.Several methods for converting olefins to corresponding epoxides andalcohols by oxidization using inorganic metal oxo complexes and metallicoxides having heavy atoms have been reported. High-valent Os^(VIII)O₄ isan effective and selective reagent for oxidizing an olefin to a 1,2-diol(References, etc. 1 to 8). However, the toxicity, sublimation property,and waste of the osmium compound cause serious problems. Sodium chlorite(NaClO₂) is a non-toxic inexpensive oxidizing reagent and has been usedas a precursor of a chlorine dioxide radical (ClO₂.) (References, etc. 9to 12 [the same as Non Patent Literatures 1 to 4]). ClO₂. is known as areactive stable radical. ClO₂., however, is an explosive gas which isyellow at room temperature. ClO₂. can be experimentally prepared byoxidization of NaClO₂ by Cl₂ and reaction of chloric acid potassium(KClO₃) and oxalic acid (Reference, etc. 13). These methods causeserious problems such as the toxicity of Cl₂ and the explosivity of ClO₃⁻. There has been an attempt on epoxidation of an olefin using NaClO₂ asa precursor of ClO₂.. However, because the oxidization ability of ClO₂.was not strong enough to oxidize an olefin to a diol in the absence ofan acid, a 1,2-diol product could not be obtained (References, etc. 14to 17). The activation of Cl═O double bond of ClO₂. is a key forselectively dihydroxylating an olefin in one step.

The present example reports an efficient synthesis method of adihydroxylated product of styrene at ordinary temperature andatmospheric pressure by the activation of ClO₂. using scandium triflate[Sc(OTf)₃] as a Lewis acid (Reference, etc. 18). The mechanism ofdihydroxylation was disclosed on the basis of the detection of a radicalintermediate by the EPR and UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy.

In the reaction of styrene (2.0 mM) by NaClO₂ (20 mM) in an aqueous MeCNsolution (MeCN/H₂O 1:1 v/v) at room temperature (25° C.),dihydroxylation of the styrene was not caused (see FIG. 6). FIG. 6 showsthe results obtained by performing the above-described reaction using a¹HNMR spectrum measurement solvent CD₃CN/D₂O (1:1 v/v) as MeCN/H₂O andtracing the reaction utilizing ¹HNMR. FIG. 6 shows the ¹HNMR spectra ofCD₃CN/D₂O (1:1 v/v) collected 0.3 hours and 17 hours after the start ofthe reaction. When the temperature was increased to 333 K, adihydroxylated product was not formed but epoxidation was caused (FIG.7) (References, etc. 14 and 19). FIG. 7 shows the ¹HNMR spectra ofCD₃CN/D₂O (4:1 v/v) that contains styrene (66 mM) and NaClO₂ (200 mM) at60° C. (333 K) collected 0 hours and 25 hours after mixing. The mark “*”indicates the peak derived from styrene oxide. In contrast, in the casewhere CF₃COOH (30 mM) as a Brønsted acid was added as an additive, anepoxide was not formed at all 17 hours after mixing, instead,1-phenylethane-1,2 diol (1) and 2-chloro-1-phenylethanol (2) wereproduced at the yield of 15% and 69%, respectively [reaction formula(1)]. They were measured utilizing the ¹HNMR spectrum (FIG. 8)(Reference, etc. 20). FIG. 8 shows the ¹HNMR spectra of CD₃CN/D₂O (1:1v/v) that contains styrene (2.0 mM), NaClO₂ (20 mM), and Sc(OTf)₃ (30mM) at 25° C. collected 0.6 hours and 17 hours after mixing. The mark“*” and the mark “†” indicate the peak derived from1-phenylethane-1,2-diol and the peak derived from2-chloro-1-phenylethanol, respectively. When Sc(OTf)₃ (30 mM), which isa strong Lewis acid, was used instead of CF₃COOH, the yield of diol (1)increased remarkably to 51% [see the following reaction formula (1)](FIG. 19) (Reference, etc. 21). FIG. 9 shows the ¹HNMR spectra ofCD₃CN/D₂O (1:1 v/v) that contains styrene (2.0 mM), NaClO₂ (20 mM), andCF₃COOD (30 mM) collected 0.5 hours and 17 hours after mixing. The mark“*” and the mark “†” indicate the peak derived from1-phenylethane-1,2-diol and the peak derived from2-chloro-1-phenylethanol, respectively.

(1)

Additive Conversion 1 2 3 none  3  0  0 0 CF₃COOH 100 15 69 0 Sc(OTf)₃100 51 30 0

The UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy was adopted for clarifying thereaction mechanism and the detection of a reactive intermediate. Asshown in FIG. 1, NaClO₂ showed the absorption band at 260 nm in anaqueous solution. The absorption band was quenched by adding Sc(OTf)₃(10 mM), and in accordance with this, a new absorption band wasincreased at 358 nm, and it was identified (assigned) that thisabsorption band was based on ClO₂. (References, etc. 22, 23). Also inthe presence of CF₃COOH, a similar change of the absorption spectrum wasmeasured (Reference, etc. 24). FIG. 1 shows the change of occurrence ofthe absorption band at 358 nm with time. FIG. 1 shows theultraviolet-visible absorption spectrum of NaClO₂ (5.0 mM) collected 0,4, and 16 hours after mixing with Sc(OTf)₃ (10 mM) in an aqueoussolution at 298 K. In FIG. 1, the horizontal axis indicates thewavelength (nm) and the vertical axis indicates the absorbance. FIG. 2Ashows a time profile of UV-Vis absorption at 358 nm in the same reactionas shown in FIG. 1 (formation of Sc³⁺(ClO₂.) by a reaction betweenSc(OTf)₃ (10 mM) and NaClO₂ (5.0 mM) in an aqueous solution (0.20 Macetate buffer having a pH of 2.9) at 298 K). In FIG. 2A, the horizontalaxis indicates the time (second) and the vertical axis indicates theabsorbance at 358 nm. FIG. 2B shows the secondary plot of themeasurement result of FIG. 2A. The time profile (FIG. 2A) meets thesecondary plot (FIG. 2B) well. In generation of ClO₂. using Sc(OTf)₃,two molecules of ClO₂ ⁻ are involved in the rate-determining step (seebelow). The rate constant of the two molecules was determined as 0.16M⁻¹s⁻¹ based on the slope of the straight line.

In the absence of a substrate, no decay of the absorbance at 358 nmbased on ClO₂. generated from NaClO₂ using Sc(OTf)₃ was observed in MeCNat 298 K. FIG. 3A shows the time profile of UV-Vis absorption at 358 nmin consumption of Sc³⁺(ClO₂.) in the presence of styrene (30 to 90 mM)in a MeCN/H₂O (1:1 v/v) solution at 298 K. In FIG. 3A, the horizontalaxis indicates the time (second), and the vertical axis indicates theClO₂. concentration. FIG. 3B shows the pseudo first-order rate-styreneconcentration plot. In the presence of an excessive amount of styrene,the rate of decay was in accordance with the pseudo first order (FIG.3B). The pseudo first-order rate (k_(obs)) observed on the increase indihydroxyl was increased linearly with the increase in a styreneconcentration (FIG. 3B). The two-molecule rate constant of theconsumption of ClO₂. and styrene was determined as 1.9×10⁻² M⁻¹s⁻¹(Reference, etc. 25). For clarifying the radical structure, electronicparamagnetic resonance (EPR) was performed. Pure ClO₂. was prepared byrefluxing a MeCN solution containing NaClO₂ at 353 K for 1 hour. The EPRspectrum of the thus-obtained pure ClO₂. was measured after being cooledto 298 K. As a result, a distinctive isotropic signal was observed withg=2.0151 (±0.0002) together with four hyperfine lines derived from anunpaired electron of a Cl nucleus (I=3/2 in ³⁵Cl and ³⁷Cl, each havingthe same type of magnetic moment of 0.821 and 0.683 ((a) of FIG. 4)(Reference, etc. 26). The G value was remarkably changed by addition ofCF₃COOH (g=2.0106) and Sc(OTf)₃ (g=2.0103) ((b) and (c) of FIG. 4). Thehyperfine binding constant of ClO₂. was decreased in the presence ofCF₃COOH (15.78 G) and Sc(OTf)₃ (15.56 G) (a(C1)=16.26 G) (Reference,etc. 27). This shows that proton and Sc³⁺ bind to ClO₂. to form H⁺ClO₂.and Sc³⁺ClO₂. as reaction intermediates for strongly dihydroxylatingstyrene (Reference, etc. 28).

As shown in FIG. 5, properties of ClO₂., H⁺ClO₂., and Sc³⁺ClO₂. werecalculated on the basis of the density functional theory (DFT), and thereaction mechanism for dihydroxylation was predicted. The optimizationof a structure was performed by the theoretical calculation at the levelof DFT CAM-B3LYP/6-311+G(d, p). FIG. 5 shows the bond lengths (Å) of theDFT-optimized structures obtained by the theoretical calculation at thelevel of CAM-B3LYP/6-311+G(d, p). In FIG. 5, (a) shows the resultobtained regarding ClO₂.; (b) shows the result obtained regardingH⁺ClO₂.; and (c) shows the result obtained regarding Sc³⁺ClO₂.. The bondlength of the Cl—O double bond of ClO₂. was calculated as 1.502 Å ((a)of FIG. 5). The bond length of the Cl—O double bond of H⁺ClO₂. wascalculated as 1.643 Å ((b) of FIG. 5). (c) of FIG. 5 shows that, ascompared to ClO₂., the bond strength of Sc³⁺ClO₂. is also remarkablyweakened (Cl—O: 1.818 A). There is a possibility that the cleavage ofthe Cl—O bond may affect advantageously on generation of ClO. as astrong oxidizing agent in the presence of a substrate. FIG. 10 showsspin distributions obtained by the theoretical calculation at the levelof CAM-B3LYP/6-311+G(d, p). In FIG. 10, (a) shows the spin distributionof H⁺ClO₂. and (b) shows the spin distribution of Sc³⁺ClO₂..

On the basis of the above-described results, the dihydroxylationmechanism of styrene by ClO₂. is shown in the following reactionformulae (2) to (5) and scheme 1. The disproportionation reaction ofNaClO₂ is caused in the presence of H⁺ or Sc³⁺, thereby forming ClO⁻ andClO₃ ⁻[reaction formula (2)] (Reference, etc. 29). ClO⁻ easily reactswith ClO₂ ⁻ and protons, thereby generating Cl₂O₂ [reaction formula(3)]. Subsequently, Cl₂O₂ is reduced by ClO₂ ⁻, thereby generating areactive species ClO₂. [reaction formula (4)]. An overall stoichiometryis given by the reaction formula (5). ClO₂. is activated by binding toacids such as H⁺ and Sc³⁺. When ClO₂ binds to H⁺, on the basis of theDFT calculation (see above), the Cl—O bond is not cleaved. Theoxidization of styrene by H⁺ proceeds by addition of ClO₂. to thestyrene double bond. In contrast, the dihydroxylation of styrene by Sc³⁺is caused, as shown in scheme 1, by addition of ClO. and Sc³⁺ O.generated by homolytic fission of Sc³⁺Cl—O bond of a Sc³⁺ClO₂. complexto the styrene double bond. Subsequently, a scandium complex ishydrolyzed for obtaining a diol and Sc³⁺ClO. as end products (scheme 1).Sc³⁺ClO. can be reused by adding a large excessive amount of ClO₂ ⁻ tocause Sc³⁺ClO₂. to be formed through oxidization. Also, ClO⁻ can beregenerated by ClO₂ ⁻ as shown in reaction formula (2). Addition of ClO.formed by cleaving the Cl—O bond of Sc³⁺ClO₂. to β carbon of styrenegave two isomers. When the β carbon-ClO bond is formed, as shown inscheme 1, a chlorine compound was obtained as a minor end product.

As described above, it was confirmed by the present example that ClO₂.is an effective dihydroxylation reagent for styrene as a Lewis acid inthe presence of Sc³⁺. The present invention can provide a uniquedihydroxylation pathway of an olefin without causing hazardous wastessuch as heavy metals.

REFERENCES, ETC

-   1. M. Schroeder, Chem. Rev., 1980, 80, 187-213.-   2. (a) E. N. Jacobsen, I. Marko, W. S. Mungall, G. Schroeder    and K. B. Sharpless, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1988, 110, 1968-1970;    and (b) S. G. Hentges and K. B. Sharpless, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1980,    102, 4263-4265.-   3. W. Yu, Y. Mei, Y. Kang, Z. Hua and Z. Jin, Org. Lett., 2004, 6,    3217-3219.-   4. (a) A. J. DelMonte, J. Haller, K. N. Houk, K. B. Sharpless, D. A.    Singleton, T. Strassner, and A. A. Thomas, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1997,    119, 9907-9908; and (b) J. S. M. Wai, I. Marko, J. S.    Svendsen, M. G. Finn, E. N. Jacobsen and K. B. Sharpless, J. Am.    Chem. Soc., 1989, 111, 1123-1125.-   5. (a) S. Kobayashi, M. Endo and S. Nagayama, J. Am. Chem. Soc.,    1999, 121, 11229-11230; and (b) S. Kobayashi, T. Ishida and R.    Akiyama, Org. Lett., 2001, 3, 2649-2652.-   6. H. C. Kolb, P. G. Andersson and K. B. Sharpless, J. Am. Chem.    Soc., 1994, 116, 1278-1291.-   7. E. J. Corey and M. C. Noe, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1996, 118,    11038-11053.-   8. S. Y. Jonsson, K. Faernegrdh and J.-E. Baeckvall, J. Am. Chem.    Soc., 2001, 123, 1365-1371.-   9. H. Dodgen and H. Taube, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1949, 71, 2501-2504.-   10. J. K. Leigh, J. Rajput, and D. E. Richardson, Inorg. Chem.,    2014, 53, 6715-6727.-   11. C. L. Latshaw, Tappi J., 1994, 163-166.-   12. (a) J. J. Leddy, in Riegel's Handbook of Industrial Chemistry,    8th edn. Ed., J. A. Kent, Van Nostrand Reinhold Co. Inc, New York,    1983, pp. 212-235; and (b) I. Fabian, Coord. Chem. Rev., 2001,    216-217, 449-472.-   13. M. J. Masschelen, J. Am. Works Assoc., 1984, 76, 70-76.-   14. X.-L. Geng, Z. Wang, X.-Q. Li, and C. Zhang J. Org. Chem., 2005,    70, 9610-9613.-   15. A. Jangam and D. E. Richardson, Tetrahedron Lett., 2010, 51,    6481-6484.-   16. J. J. Kolar and B. O. Lindgren, Acta Chem. Scand. B, 1982, 36,    599-605.-   17. B. O. Lindgren, T. Nilsson, Acta Chem. Scand. B, 1974, 28,    847-852.-   18. (a) S. Fukuzumi and K. Ohkubo, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2002, 124,    10270-10271; and (b) S. Fukuzumi and K. Ohkubo, Chem.-Eur. J., 2000,    6, 4532-4535.-   19. Epoxidation of styrene (66 mM) by NaClO₂ (200 mM) was checked in    a MeCN/H₂O mixture solution (4:1 v/v) at 333 K (Reference, etc. 14).    The yield of styrene oxide was 44% and the conversion ratio of    styrene was 61%.-   20. E. V. Bakhmutova-Albert, D. W. Margerum, J. G. Auer and B. M.    Applegate, Inorg. Chem., 2008, 47, 2205-2211.-   21. As a result of measurement utilizing ¹HNMR, styrene epoxide as    an intermediate in reaction by CF₃COOH or Sc(OTf)₃ was not observed.-   22. C. Rav-Acha, E. Choushen (Goldstein) and S. Sarel, Helv. Chim.    Acta, 1986, 69, 1728-1733.-   23. There is a possibility that ClO₂. generated from acetic    anhydride and NaClO₂ (Reference, etc. 22) is in the protonated form    (H⁺ClO₂.) in a ClO₂. aqueous solution.-   24. W. Masschelein, Ind. Eng. Chem. Prod. Res. Devel., 1967, 6,    137-142.-   25. This numerical value is slightly greater than the value of the    conversion of styrene to epoxide by ClO₂. (1.17×10⁻² M⁻¹s⁻¹)    (Reference, etc. 10).-   26. (a) T. Ozawa and T. Kwan, Chem. Pharm. Bull., 1983, 31,    2864-2867; and (b) T. Ozawa, T. Trends Org. Chem., 1991, 2, 51-58.-   27. The calculated values of the spin distribution of Sc³⁺ClO₂. and    H⁺ClO₂. are shown in FIG. 10. According to this, each of Sc and H    nuclei does not show a spin density. This means that the EPR    spectrum does not show the hyperfine splitting derived from Sc    (I=7/2) or H (I=½).-   28. As to the bond between Sc³⁺ and an oxo group of a metal oxo    complex, see the following references:-   (a) J. Chen, X. Wu, K. M. Davis, Y-M. Lee, M. S. Seo, K.-B. Cho, H.    Yoon, Y. J. Park, S. Fukuzumi, Y. N. Pushkar and W. Nam, J. Am.    Chem. Soc., 2013, 135, 6388-6391; (b) H. Yoon, Y-M. Lee, X. Wu,    K.-B. Cho, Y. N. Pushkar, W. Nam and S. Fukuzumi, J. Am. Chem. Soc.,    2013, 135, 9186-9194; and (c) S. Fukuzumi, K. Ohkubo, Y-M. Lee    and W. Nam, Chem.-Eur. J., 2015, 21, 17548-17559.-   29. As to the disproportionation of a neutral radical by Sc³⁺, see    the following reference: I. Nakanishi, T. Kawashima, K. Ohkubo, T.    Waki, Y. Uto, T. Kamada, T. Ozawa, K. Matsumoto and S. Fukuzumi, S.    Chem. Commun., 2014, 50, 814-816.

Example 2 of Second Aspect of Invention

In the present example, an oxygen reduction reaction was activated bybenzethonium chloride. Research and development of Lewis acids have beencarried out widely in various organic synthesis reactions. In most ofthe researches, a metal ion or a metal complex was used as a Lewis acidsite, and the ligand design around the Lewis acid site was the mainfocus of the researches. In the present example, benzethonium chloridewas used as an ammonium derivative having strong Lewis acidicproperties, and whether the benzethonium chloride is widely useful in anoxygenation reaction of an aromatic organic compound using sodiumchlorite was examined.

In acetonitrile, electron transfer does not proceed at all betweencobalt (II) tetraphenylporphyrin complex Co(II)TPP(TPP=5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphyrin) (Eox=0.35V vs SCE) and molecularoxygen (E_(red)=−0.86 V vs SCE). However, when benzethonium chloride(Bzn⁺) was added to this oxygen saturated solution ([CoTPP]=9.0×10⁻⁶ M,[O₂]=13 mM) ([Bzn⁺Cl⁻]=30 mM), accompanying decay of the absorption bandderived from Co(II)TPP at 411 nm, an increase in absorption bandcharacteristic of Co(III)TPP⁺ at 433 nm was observed with an isosbesticpoint ((a) of FIG. 11). In FIG. 11, (a) is a graph showing the timecourse of the ultraviolet-visible absorption spectrum of the solution.The horizontal axis indicates the wavelength (nm), and the vertical axisindicates the absorbance. It is considered the above behavior indicatesthat an electron transfer reaction from Co(II)TPP to molecular oxygenproceeded and Co(III)TPP⁺ was generated. The time constant of the changein decay of the absorption band at 411 nm with time was substantiallythe same as the time constant of the change in increase in theabsorption band at 433 nm, and the rate constant was determined to be9.3×10⁻⁵ s⁻¹ by pseudo-first-order curve fitting ((b) of FIG. 11). Inthe graph of (b) of FIG. 11, the horizontal axis indicates the time, andthe vertical axis indicates the absorbance. This rate constant exhibitedfirst-order dependence on the oxygen concentration and the Bzn⁺concentration, and the catalytic transfer rate constant (k_(cat)) wasdetermined to be 0.24 M⁻²s⁻¹ from the slope of the plot. Previousresearch (Ohkubo, K.; Fukuzumi, S. Chem. Eur. J., 2000, 6, 4532) hasrevealed that the electron transfer reaction from Co(II)TPP to molecularoxygen proceeds efficiently in the presence of a Lewis acid such asmetal ions. In the case of Bzn⁺ used in the present research, it isconsidered that the reaction proceeded in a manner similar to the Lewisacid catalyzed reaction. The catalyst rate constant of Bzn⁺ (0.24M⁻²s⁻¹) obtained in the present example was slightly lower than that oflithium perchlorate (0.36) and larger than that of strontium perchlorate(0.10 M⁻²s⁻¹) and barium perchlorate (0.051 M⁻²s⁻¹). From these results,it is considered that Bzn⁺ has a relatively strong Lewis acidity. Fromthis catalyst rate constant, the ΔE value as the indicator of the Lewisacidity was determined to be 0.53 eV according to the method describedin the literature. Indeed, it has been reported that ammonium saltsserved as Lewis acids. For example, from the fact that the ΔE value ofthe ammonium salt in the present example was larger than the ΔE value(0.32 eV) of ammonium hexafluorophosphate (NH₄PF₆) (e.g., References,etc. 33), it was confirmed that the ammonium salt in the present exampleexhibits strong Lewis acidity among various types of ammonium. The graphof FIG. 21 shows the Lewis acidities of benzethonium chloride [Bzn⁺Cl⁻]and various metal complexes. In FIG. 21, the horizontal axis indicatesthe ΔE value (eV), and the vertical axis indicates the logarithm of therate constant (log(k_(cat), M⁻²s⁻¹)).

The structure of Bzn⁺ was optimized by density functional calculation(B3LYP/6-31G(d) level). The obtained structure is shown in FIG. 12. Ascan be seen from FIG. 12, from the localization of Mulliken charges andLUMO in the vicinity of ammonium nitrogen, it is expected that Bzn⁺exhibits Lewis acidity.

Example 3 of Second Aspect of Invention

The present example examined the acceleration effect of adisproportionation reaction of NaClO₂ by a Lewis acid.

As confirmed in Example 1 of the second aspect of the present invention,degradation of sodium chlorite (NaClO₂) is not observed because it isvery stable in a mixed solution containing a neutral aqueous solutionand acetonitrile. When Sc(OTf)₃ (40 mM) was added to this 20 mMsolution, accompanying the decay of the absorption band of NaClO₂, anincrease in absorption band characteristic of ClO₂ radicals (ClO₂) wasobserved at 358 nm immediately (FIG. 13). In FIG. 13, the horizontalaxis indicates the wavelength (nm), and the vertical axis indicates theabsorbance. The increase in this absorption band could be observed as achange over time by decreasing the concentration of Sc(OTf)₃, asconfirmed in Example 1 of the second aspect of the present invention(FIG. 1). By conducting similar studies on magnesium ions, lithium ions,and the like having lower Lewis acidities than scandium ions, thereaction rate constants of the respective ions were determined. It isknown that Lewis acids catalyze various disproportionation reactions. Inthis reaction, it is considered that ClO₂ ⁻ is disproportionated to ClO⁻and ClO₃ ⁻ according to the reaction formula (2) of Example 1 of thesecond aspect of the present invention by a similar mechanism.Thereafter, it is considered that the generated ClO⁻ reacts with ClO₂ ⁻,which is present in a large excessive amount, in the presence of an acidand gives Cl₂O₂ (the reaction formula (3) of Example 1 of the secondaspect of the present invention). Thereafter, it is considered thatCl₂O₂ further reacts with ClO₂ ⁻ and gives ClO₂ radicals as activeradical species (the reaction formula (4) of Example 1 of the secondaspect of the present invention).

Example 4 of Second Aspect of Invention

The present example examined the generation of ClO₂ radicals andacceleration of an oxidation reaction using benzethonium chloride.

ClO₂ radicals are considered to exhibit strong oxygenation reactionactivity. Thus, first, in a mixed solution containing deoxygenatedacetonitrile and water (deoxygenated acetonitrile:water=1:1 v/v),10-methyl-9,10-dihydroacridine (AcrH₂) (1.4 mM) and sodium chlorite(NaClO₂) (2.8 mM) were added. In this case, there was almost no progressin an oxygenation reaction of AcrH₂ (FIG. 14). In FIGS. 14, (a) to (c)are graphs each showing the time course of the reaction. In the graph(a) of FIG. 14, the horizontal axis indicates the wavelength (nm), andthe vertical axis indicates the absorbance. The graph (b) of FIG. 14shows the time course of the absorbance at a wavelength of 358 nm. Inthe graph (b) of FIG. 14, the horizontal axis indicates the time(second), and the vertical axis indicates the absorbance. The graph (c)of FIG. 14 shows the time course of the absorbance at a wavelength of387 nm. In the graph (c) of FIG. 14, the horizontal axis indicates thetime (second), and the vertical axis indicates the absorbance.

Next, the same mixed solution as that shown in FIG. 14 was prepared.When Bzn⁺ (0.56 mM) was further added to the mixed solution, anoxygenation reaction from AcrH₂ to 10-methylacridone proceeded (FIG.15). In FIG. 15, (a) and (b) are graphs each showing the time course ofthe reaction. In the graph (a) of FIG. 15, the horizontal axis indicatesthe wavelength (nm), and the vertical axis indicates the absorbance. Thegraph (b) of FIG. 15 shows the time course of the absorbance at awavelength of 387 nm. In the graph (b) of FIG. 15, the horizontal axisindicates the time (second), and the vertical axis indicates theabsorbance. As can be seen from the graphs (a) and (b) of FIG. 15, anincrease in absorption derived from 10-methylacridone (λmax=382 nm) withtime was observed. This demonstrates that the oxygenation (oxidation)reaction from AcrH₂ to 10-methylacridone proceeded.

Also, when scandium trifluoromethanesulfonate (Sc(OTf)₃, 3.0 mM) wasfurther added to the same mixed solution as that shown in FIG. 15, anoxygenation reaction from AcrH₂ to 10-methylacridone proceeded (FIG.16). In FIG. 16, (a) and (b) are graphs each showing the time course ofthe reaction. In the graph (a) of FIG. 16, the horizontal axis indicatesthe wavelength (nm), and the vertical axis indicates the absorbance. Thegraph (b) of FIG. 16 shows the time course of the absorbance at awavelength of 430 nm. In the graph (b) of FIG. 16, the horizontal axisindicates the time (second), and the vertical axis indicates theabsorbance. As can be seen from the graphs (a) and (b) of FIG. 16, anincrease in absorption derived from 10-methylacridone with time wasobserved. This demonstrates that the oxygenation (oxidation) reactionfrom AcrH₂ to 10-methylacridone proceeded. It is considered that thisoxygenation reaction proceeds through the chain reaction mechanism shownin FIG. 17. That is, it is considered that, in this reaction, ClO₂.abstracts hydrogen from 10-methylacridone and add oxygen to the10-methylacridone at the same time, thereby forming acridone. On theother hand, it is considered that ClO₂., which is a product obtainedafter the addition of the oxygen, caused an electron transfer reactionwith ClO₂ ⁻ and regenerates while giving ClO⁻ and ClO₂..

Example 5 of Second Aspect of Invention

In the present example, an oxygenation reaction of a substrate by NaClO₂using a Lewis acid was used for an oxygenation reaction fromtriphenylphosphine to triphenylphosphine oxide in order to examinewhether it works. More specifically, the oxygenation reaction fromtriphenylphosphine to triphenylphosphine oxide by NaClO₂ was performedin the presence and the absence of scandium triflate Sc(OTf)₃, which isa Lewis acid in order to examine whether the Lewis acid promotes thereaction.

First, under the following conditions, in the presence or absence ofSc(OTf)₃, the reaction was performed at ordinary temperature andatmospheric pressure (no light irradiation), and the reaction was tracedby the ultraviolet-visible absorption spectrum. The ultraviolet-visibleabsorption spectrum shown in (a) of FIG. 22 shows the conversion oftriphenylphosphine to triphenylphosphine oxide over time. In (a) of FIG.22, the horizontal axis indicates the wavelength (nm), and the verticalaxis indicates the absorbance. The graph shown in (b) of FIG. 22 showsthe changes of a triphenylphosphine (Ph₃P) concentration over time inthe presence and the absence of Sc(OTf)₃ (Sc³⁺). In (b) of FIG. 22, thehorizontal axis indicates the time (second), and the vertical axisindicates the triphenylphosphine (Ph₃P) concentration (mM). As shown in(b) of FIG. 22, while the reaction rate constant k calculated from thecurve in the absence of Sc³⁺ was 9.8×10⁻⁴ S⁻¹, the reaction rateconstant k calculated from the curve in the presence of Sc³⁺ wasincreased to 1.7×10⁻³ S⁻¹. Thus, it was confirmed that Sc³⁺ (a Lewisacid) promoted the reaction.

[Ph₃P]=0.4 mM [NaClO₂]=0.4 mM Sc(OTf)₃=0 or 10 mM

0.12M acetate buffer, pH5.3

MeCN/H₂O (4:6)

The reaction did not proceed at all by mixing triphenylphosphine andNaClO₂ (4.0 mM) in deoxygenated acetonitrile MeCN/H₂O (0.9 ml/0.1 ml).By adding scandium triflate Sc(OTf)₃ (30 mM) thereto, oxygenatedproducts were produced efficiently. The initial concentration oftriphenylphosphine was set to 1.0 mM, 2.0 mM, 4.0 mM, or 8.0 mM, andeach reaction was performed at 25° C. for 15 minutes. The reaction wastraced by monitoring the change in the ultraviolet-visible absorptionspectrum ((a) of FIG. 18). In (a) of FIG. 18, the horizontal axisindicates the wavelength (nm), and the vertical axis indicates theabsorbance. As can be seen from (a) of FIG. 18, it can be consideredthat ClO₂ radicals as active radical species were generated by scandiumions Sc³⁺, and Ph₃P was oxygenated to Ph₃P═O. The stoichiometry is asrepresented by the following reaction formula (6), and it was confirmedthat the reaction proceeds almost quantitatively ((b) of FIG. 18). In(b) of FIG. 18, the horizontal axis indicates the initial concentrationof Ph₃P, and the vertical axis indicates the concentration of thegenerated Ph₃P═O.

2Ph₃P+NaClO₂→2Ph₃P═O+NaCl  (6)

Example 6 of Second Aspect of Invention

In the present example, an oxidation reaction of a raw material aromaticcompound (benzaldehyde) was performed in acetonitrile in the presence ofperchlorate (Acr⁺-Mes ClO₄ ⁻) of 9-mesityl-10-methylacridinium(Acr⁺-Mes) and oxygen, thereby obtaining an oxidation reaction product(benzoic acid) (FIG. 20). The reaction was performed in the presence orabsence of Bzn⁺Cl⁻.

As a reaction solvent, 0.6 ml of CD₃CN saturated with oxygen gas wasused. As shown in FIG. 20, 1 mM of Acr⁺-Mes ClO₄ ⁻, 5 mM of benzaldehyde(PhCHO), and 0 or 1 mM of Bzn⁺Cl⁻ were added thereto, and the resultantmixture was or was not irradiated with light at a wavelength of 390 nmemitted from a xenon lamp. The reaction was traced by ¹HNMR. The resultsobtained are shown in the table in FIG. 20. In the table, “×” means thereagent was not added or light irradiation was not performed; “∘” meanslight irradiation was performed; “conversion” indicates the conversionrate of the raw material aromatic compound (benzaldehyde); “yield”indicates the yield of the benzoic acid; and “time” indicates thereaction time. As can be seen from FIG. 20, in the case where Bzn⁺Cl⁻was not added, the yield of the benzoic acid was a trace amount. In thecase where Bzn⁺Cl⁻ was added, the yield of the benzoic acid was 60%, andthe conversion rate of the benzaldehyde was 63%. It is considered thisresult indicates that, while the reactivity of Acr⁺-Mes was low in theabsence of the Lewis acid (Bzn⁺Cl⁻), generation of radicals fromAcr⁺-Mes was promoted in the presence of the Lewis acid (Bzn⁺Cl⁻), whichsuggests that the Lewis acid (Bzn⁺Cl⁻) served as a strong reactionpromoter.

Example 7 of Second Aspect of Invention

In the present example, according to the measurement method described inthe above section “Measurement method of Lewis acidity”, oxidationreaction products of cobalt tetraphenylporphyrin were produced usingvarious types of ammonium as radical generating catalysts and oxygenmolecules as a radical source (also serving as an oxidizing agent). Morespecifically, as to acetonitrile (MeCN) that contains cobalttetraphenylporphyrin in the following chemical reaction formula (1a),saturated O₂, and an object whose Lewis acidity is to be measured (e.g.,a cation of a metal or the like, represented by M^(n+) in the followingchemical reaction formula (1a)), the change of the ultraviolet-visibleabsorption spectrum was measured at room temperature, and whether CoTPP⁺was obtained as an oxidation reaction product was examined.

The oxidation reaction was performed using each type of ammonium shownin the following table as a radical generating catalyst. In thefollowing table, the numerical value expressed in the unit “k_(cat),M⁻²s⁻¹” is a rate constant of reaction between CoTPP and oxygen in thepresence of Lewis acid, which is an indicator of the Lewis acidity ofeach ammonium. The numerical value expressed in the unit “LUMO, eV” isthe energy level of LUMO. The “benzetonium chloride” means benzethoniumchloride, “benzalkonium chloride” means benzalkonium chloride,“tetramethylammonium hexafluorophosphate” means tetramethylammoniumhexafluorophosphate, “tetrabutylammonium hexafluorophosphate” meanstetrabutylammonium hexafluorophosphate, and “ammoniumhexafluorophosphate” means ammonium hexafluorophosphate (Note fromtranslator: in the original text in Japanese, the above sentenceexplains the meanings of the English terms in the table in Japanese).

TABLE tpp LUMO, eV k _(cat), M⁻² s⁻¹ benzetonium chloride −4.12 0.24benzalkonium chloride −4.02 0.18 tetramethylammonium hexafluorophosphate−3.58 >0.1 tetrabutylammonium hexafluorophosphate −2.07 >0.1 ammoniumhexafluorophosphate −5.73 20

Examples of Third Aspect of Invention

Next, specific examples of the third aspect of the present inventionwill be described. It is to be noted, however, that the third aspect ofthe present invention is not limited to the following examples. Drugsused in the following examples of the third aspect of the presentinvention and comparative examples were produced in the followingmanners.

Example 1 of the Third Aspect of the Present Invention

5 g of sodium chlorite was dissolved in purified water to obtain 100 mlof an aqueous solution. Thus, the 40,000 ppm sodium chlorite aqueoussolution was obtained (solution A). 0.1 g of benzethonium chloride wasdissolved in 100 ml of purified water to prepare a 100 ml of 1000 ppmaqueous solution (solution B). 0.1 M phosphate-NaOH buffer (pH=9.5) wasprovided. To 600 ml of purified water at pH 7, 20 ml of the solution Adiluted 10-fold and 80 ml of the buffer were added, and then 80 ml ofthe solution B was added. Purified water was further added to make thetotal amount 800 ml. In this manner, the drug according to Example 1 ofthe third aspect of the present invention was obtained.

Example 2 of the Third Aspect of the Present Invention

5 g of sodium chlorite was dissolved in purified water to obtain 100 mlof an aqueous solution. Thus, the 40,000 ppm sodium chlorite aqueoussolution was obtained. 0.1 g of benzethonium chloride was dissolved in100 ml of purified water to prepare a 1000 ppm aqueous solution. The40,000 ppm sodium chlorite aqueous solution was diluted 40-fold toobtain a 1000 ppm aqueous solution. 10 ml of the sodium chlorite aqueoussolution and 10 ml of the benzethonium chloride aqueous solution wereadded to 80 ml of purified water to obtain a 100 ppm aqueous solution.In this manner, a drug according to Example 2 of the third aspect of thepresent invention was obtained.

Comparative Example 1 of the Third Aspect of the Present Invention

a bactericide containing sodium hypochlorite and water (commerciallyavailable product)

Comparative Example 2 of the Third Aspect of the Present Invention

a sterilizing deodorizer containing sodium hypochlorite (commerciallyavailable product)

Comparative Example 3 of the Third Aspect of the Present Invention

a sterilizing deodorizer containing hypochlorous acid and water(commercially available product)

Comparative Example 4 of the Third Aspect of the Present Invention

a sterilizing deodorizer containing sodium hypochlorite and water(commercially available product)

Comparative Example 5 of the Third Aspect of the Present Invention

a sterilizing deodorizer containing sodium hypochlorite and water(commercially available product)

Comparative Example 6 of the Third Aspect of the Present Invention

a sodium chlorite standard solution 1000 ppm (test product)

Comparative Example 7 of the Third Aspect of the Present Invention

5 g of sodium chlorite (Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd.) wasdissolved in 100 ml of purified water to prepare a 40,000 ppm aqueoussolution. The 40,000 ppm aqueous solution was further diluted withpurified water to obtain a 100 ppm aqueous solution. In this manner, atest product according to Comparative Example 7 of the third aspect ofthe present invention was obtained.

Comparative Example 8 of the Third Aspect of the Present Invention

a benzethonium chloride aqueous solution (test product)

Experimental Example 1 of Third Aspect of Invention

In Experimental Example 1 of the third aspect of the present invention,the following were provided first.

Bacterial Strains to be Used:

Staphylococcus aureus

Escherichia coli MV1184

Bacterial Solution:

Bacteria cultured in a BHI agar medium were collected with a platinumloop and placed in a BHI liquid medium, and the BHI liquid medium wasshaken. The bacteria were allowed to grow in the BHI liquid medium for awhole day and night. 50 μl of the resultant culture solution was diluted190-fold with a BHI liquid medium, and mixed well with the BHI liquidmedium by stirring. The resultant mixture was used as a bacterialsolution.

Using each bacterial strain and bacterial solution, the effect wasexamined in the following manner.

A microplate (with a lid) was sterilized for 10 minutes with a UVsterilization lamp. Next, a BHI liquid medium, the bacterial solution,and the drug according to Example 1 of the third aspect of the presentinvention were injected in this order into each well with amicropipette. The bacteria were cultured at 37° C. for 24 hours.Thereafter, the bacteria were examined using a microplate reader, andthe minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined. As a control,the same examination was performed using the liquid medium only.Further, 10 μl of the culture solution was collected from the well inthe vicinity of the MIC, and inoculated in a petri dish. The bacteriawere cultured at 37° C. for 24 hours, and the minimum bactericidalconcentration (MBC) was determined. The results obtained are shown inTable 4.

Using the bactericide according to Comparative Example 1 of the thirdaspect of the present invention instead of the drug according to Example1 of the third aspect of the present invention, the MIC and MBC weredetermined in the same manner. The results obtained are shown in Table4.

Using each of the sterilizing deodorizers according to ComparativeExamples 2 to 5 of the third aspect of the present invention instead ofthe drug according to Example 1 of the third aspect of the presentinvention, the MIC of the Staphylococcus aureus was determined in thesame manner. The results obtained are shown in Table 4.

Using the test product according to Comparative Example 6 of the thirdaspect of the present invention instead of the drug according to Example1 of the third aspect of the present invention, the MIC of theStaphylococcus aureus and the MIC and MBC of the Escherichia coli weredetermined in the same manner. The results obtained are shown in Table4.

TABLE 4 Comp. Comp. Comp. Comp. Comp. Comp. Ex. 1 Ex. 1 Ex. 2 Ex. 3 Ex.4 Ex. 5 Ex. 6 S. aureus MIC 1.56 300 ineffective ineffective ineffectiveineffective 40 (ppm) MBC 3.12 300 (ppm) E. Coli MIC 12.5 220 30 (ppm)MBC 20.0 220 50 (ppm)

Experimental Example 2 of Third Aspect of Invention

Using the drug according to Example 2 or Comparative Example 7 or 8 ofthe third aspect of the present invention instead of the drug accordingto Example 1 of the third aspect of the present invention, the MIC ofthe Escherichia coli was determined in the same manner. The resultsobtained are shown in Table 5.

TABLE 5 Ex. 2 Comp. Ex. 7 Comp. Ex. 8 E. coli MIC (ppm) 12.5> 25< 17.5

Experimental Example 3 of Third Aspect of Invention

In Experimental Example 3 of the third aspect of the present invention,the following were provided first.

Bacterial Strain to be Used:

Streptococcus pyogenes

Bacterial Solution:

A bacterial solution was obtained in the same manner as in ExperimentalExample 1 of the third aspect of the present invention.

Using the above bacterial strain and bacterial solution and the drugaccording to Example 1 of the third aspect of the present invention, theMIC and MBC were determined in the same manner as in ExperimentalExample 1 of the third aspect of the present invention. The resultsobtained are shown in Table 6.

TABLE 6 Ex. 3 Streptococcus pyogenes MIC (ppm) 0.1 MBC(ppm) 1.0

Experimental Example 4 of Third Aspect of Invention

In Experimental Example 4 of the third aspect of the present invention,the following were provided first.

Bacterial Strains to be Used:

Streptococcus mutans

Bacterial Solution:

Bacteria cultured in a BHI agar medium were collected with a platinumloop and placed in a BHI liquid medium, and the BHI liquid medium wasshaken. The bacteria were allowed to grow in the BHI liquid medium for awhole day and night. 50 μl of the resultant culture solution was diluted190-fold with a BHI liquid medium, and mixed well with the BHI liquidmedium by stirring. The resultant mixture was used as a bacterialsolution.

Using each bacterial strain and bacterial solution, the effect wasexamined in the following manner.

The bacterial solution was injected with a micropipette into a BHIliquid medium placed in each of two test tubes. Saccharose was addedthereto so that the concentration thereof was 0.2%. The bacteria werecultured at 37° C. for 18 hours to allow them to form a biofilm. Themedium in each test tube was discarded in a beaker, and the biofilm waswashed twice with PBS. The drug according to Example 1 of the thirdaspect of the present invention was injected into one of the test tube,and PBS was injected into the other test tube. Then, the test tubes wereshaken at 37° C. for 30 minutes. The liquid in each test tube wasdiscarded in a beaker, and the biofilm was washed twice with PBS. A BHIliquid medium was injected into the test tubes, and the bacteria werecultured at 37° C. for 24 hours. 10 μl of the medium collected from eachtest tube was inoculated into a nutrient agar medium, and the bacteriawere cultured at 37° C. for 24 hours. The presence or absence ofcolonies was checked through visual observation. As a result, while nocolony was observed in the test tube to which the drug according toExample 1 of the third aspect of the present invention had beeninjected, many colonies were observed in the test tube to which PBS hadbeen injected.

In order to examine the effect of the drug on the bacterial cells in thebiofilm, the following test was conducted further.

The bacterial solution was injected with a micropipette into a BHIliquid medium placed in microtubes. Saccharose was added thereto so thatthe concentration thereof was 0.2%. The bacteria were cultured at 37° C.for 18 hours to allow them to form a biofilm. The medium in eachmicrotube was discarded in a beaker, and the biofilm was washed twicewith PBS. The drug according to Example 1 of the third aspect of thepresent invention was injected into one of the microtubes, and PBS wasinjected into the other microtube. The bacteria in the former microtubeand the bacteria in the latter microtube were aged at 37° C. for 15minutes and 30 minutes, respectively. The liquid in each microtube wasdiscarded in a beaker, and the biofilm was washed twice with PBS. A BHIliquid medium was injected into the test tubes and homogenized.Thereafter, the bacteria were cultured at 37° C. for 24 hours. 10 μl ofthe medium collected from each microtube was inoculated into a nutrientagar medium, and the bacteria were cultured at 37° C. for 24 hours. Thepresence or absence of colonies was checked through visual observation.As a result, while no colony was observed in the microtube to which thedrug according to Example 1 of the third aspect of the present inventionhad been injected, many colonies were observed in the microtube to whichPBS had been injected. These results demonstrate that, by impregnating abiofilm with the drug according to Example 1 of the third aspect of thepresent invention, the drug acts on bacteria deep inside the biofilm toexhibit the sterilizing effect.

Experimental Example 5 of Third Aspect of Invention

In Experimental Example 5 of the third aspect of the present invention,the following bacterial strains were used. Except for this, the MIC andMBC were determined using the drug according to Example 1 of the thirdaspect of the present invention in the same manner as in ExperimentalExample 1 of the third aspect of the present invention. The resultsobtained are shown in Table 7.

Bacterial Strains to be Used:

Bacteria 1 (Porphyromonas gingivalis)

Bacteria 2 (Treponema denticola)

Bacteria 3 (Tannerella forsythensis)

Bacteria 4 (Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans)

TABLE 7 Ex. 1 Bacteria 1 MIC (ppm) 20.0 MBC (ppm) 20.0 Bacteria 2 MIC(ppm) 25.0 MBC (ppm) 25.0 Bacteria 3 MIC (ppm) 12.5 MBC (ppm) 12.5Bacteria 4 MIC (ppm) 35-45 MBC (ppm) 35-50

Experimental Example 6 of Third Aspect of Invention

Test pieces (25.4 mm×25.4 mm) respectively made of iron, aluminum, tinplate, and stainless steel were washed. Thereafter, the test pieces madeof each material were immersed in resin containers containing the drugaccording to Example 1 of the third aspect of the present invention, a1.2% sodium hypochlorite aqueous solution, and tap water, respectively,and then, the resin containers were covered with a lid. The test pieceswere taken out on a nonwoven fabric after a lapse of each time periodshown in Tables 8 and 9, and the conditions of the test pieces wereexamined through visual observation. In the examination, pictures weretaken when necessary, and a microscope was used when the change wassubtle. The evaluation was made using the following evaluation criteria.

−: no corrosion±: generation of rust+: fairly large amount of rust++: vary large amount of rust+++: corrosion of metal surfaces

TABLE 8 Test piece 10 min 30 min 1 hr 3 hr 6 hr Iron Example 1 ± ± ± + +Hypochlorous acid + + ++ +++ +++ Tap water ± ± ± ± + Aluminum Example 1− − − − − Hypochlorous acid ± ± ± + + Tapwater − − − − − Tin plateExample 1 − − − − − Hypochlorous acid − − − ± ± Tap water − − − − −Stainless Example 1 − − − − − steel Hypochlorous acid − − − − − Tapwater − − − − −

TABLE 9 1 3 1 2 3 4 Test piece day days week weeks weeks weeks IronExample 1 + + + + + + Hypochlorous +++ +++ +++ +++ +++ +++ acid Tapwater + + + + + + Example 1 − − − − − − Aluminum Hypochlorous ++ ++ +++++ +++ +++ acid Tap water − − − − − − Example 1 − ± ± ± ± ± Tin plateHypochlorous + ++ +++ +++ +++ +++ acid Tap water − ± ± + + + StainlessExample 1 − − − − − − steel Hypochlorous − − − − − − acid Tap water − −− − − −

Experimental Example 7 of Third Aspect of Invention

The deodorizing performance test was conducted in accordance with JEM1467 “domestic air cleaner” in the Standards of the Japan ElectricalManufacturers' Association. In the measurement, cigarettes were burnedwhile operating a circulator in an acrylic container (1 m in height×1 min width×1 m in depth) with an internal volume of 1 m³ to fill thecontainer with smoke. After all the cigarettes were burned, thecirculator was stopped, and the drug according to Example 1 of the thirdaspect of the present invention was sprayed in the container byoperating a sprayer. The concentrations of three components, namely,ammonia, acetaldehyde, and acetic acid, in the container were measuredover 2 hours at regular intervals to trace the change in concentrations.Similarly, formaldehyde vapor was injected into an acrylic container andthe formaldehyde concentration in the container was measured over 2hours at regular intervals to trace the change in concentration. Thesprayer was operated in “Manual” mode. As a control, a blank test inwhich the sprayer was not operated was also conducted. The resultsobtained are shown in Tables 10 to 13. The malodorous components weremeasured using detector tubes (Gastec Corporation). The detector tubesused for the measurement are shown below.

Detector Tubes Used for Measurement

ammonia: No. 3L

acetaldehyde: No. 92L

acetic acid: No. 81L

formaldehyde: No. 91

TABLE 10 Ammonia concentration (ppm) Example 1 Elapsed time Example 1Blank test Removal rate (%) Start 30 32 —  5 min 8 32 73 10 min 5 32 8320 min 4 32 87 30 min 2 32 93 45 min 1 31 97 60 min  1> 31  97< 90 min 1> 31  97< 120 min   1> 26  97<

TABLE 11 Acetaldehyde concentration (ppm) Example 1 Elapsed time Example1 Blank test Removal rate (%) Start 14 14 —  5 min 12 14 14 10 min 10 1429 20 min 10 14 29 30 min 7 14 50 45 min 7 14 50 60 min 7 14 50 90 min 714 50 120 min  6 14 57

TABLE 12 Acetic acid concentration (ppm) Example 1 Elapsed time Example1 Blank test Removal rate (%) Start 12 10 —  5 min 0.5> 10 96< 10 min0.5> 10 96< 20 min 0.5> 10 96< 30 min 0.5> 10 96< 45 min 0.5> 10 96< 60min 0.5> 9.5 96< 90 min 0.5> 9.0 96< 120 min  0.5> 9.0 96<

TABLE 13 Formaldehyde concentration (ppm) Example 1 Elapsed timeExample1 Blank test Removal rate (%) Start 20 20 —  5 min 10 20 50 10min 8 20 60 20 min 5 20 75 30 min 3 20 85 45 min 2 20 90 60 min 2 20 9090 min 2 18 90 120 min  2 18 90

Experimental Example 8 of Third Aspect of Invention

The drug according to Example 1 of the third aspect of the presentinvention was sprayed using a sprayer to measure the deodorizingperformance for cigarette odor. First, cigarettes were burned in a roomwith a 6-tatami mat size to fill the room with smoke at a predeterminedconcentration. Next, a sprayer was set in the room, and the odorintensity in the room was measured three times, namely, before operatingthe sprayer, one hour after operating the sprayer, and two hours afteroperating the sprayer. The sprayer was set near a wall in the room, andthe odor was collected at a height of 1 m in the middle of the room. Twocirculation fans were set in the room, and they were operated at alltimes to maintain the air-circulating conditions. The sprayer wasoperated in “Manual” mode. As a control, a blank test in which thesprayer was not operated was also conducted. The odor intensity wasdetermined as follows according to the six-grade odor intensitymeasurement method. The results obtained are shown in Table 14.

The odor intensity was evaluated by six testers (test panel). Theresults were calculated by determining the average value of the odorintensities given by the respective testers. The six-grade odorintensity measurement method is a method for converting odor intensityto a numerical value using human olfaction. The members of the testpanel who had joined the test were those who had taken thelegally-required olfactometry and had been admitted as having normalolfaction.

In the six-grade odor intensity measurement method, the followingnumerical values are used as evaluation criteria.

0: odorless1: barely perceivable odor (detection threshold concentration)2: weakly perceivable odor (recognition threshold concentration)3: easily perceivable odor4: strong odor5: very strong odor

TABLE 14 Odor intensity Elapsed time Example 1 Blank test Start 4.6 4.5l h 3.5 4.5 2 h 2.9 4.2

Experimental Example 9 of Third Aspect of Invention

The drug according to Example 1 of the third aspect of the presentinvention was sprayed with a sprayer to measure the performance thereofto remove airborne bacteria (general bacteria, fungi). First, a sprayerwas set in a room with a 6-tatami mat size, and the concentration ofairborne bacteria in the air was measured three times, namely, beforeoperating the sprayer, one hour after operating the sprayer, and twohours after operating the sprayer. The sprayer was set near a wall inthe room, and the airborne bacteria were collected at a height of 1 m inthe middle of the room. Two circulation fans were set in the room, andthey were operated at all times to maintain the air-circulatingconditions. The airborne bacteria were measured by a filtration methodusing a membrane filter. The sprayer was operated in “Manual” mode. As acontrol, a blank test in which the sprayer was not operated was alsoconducted. The results obtained are shown in Tables 15 and 16.

Measurement conditions etc. in Experimental Example 9 of the thirdaspect of the present invention

-   -   Filter to be used: Toyo Roshi Kaisha, Ltd., 37 mm Monitors    -   Amount of sucked air: 3001 (sucked for 15 minutes at 20 l/min)    -   Medium to be used: m-TGE Broth liquid medium for general        bacteria (Toyo Seisakusho Kaisha, Ltd.)        -   m-Green Y & M Broth liquid medium for fungi (Toyo Seisakusho            Kaisha, Ltd.)    -   Culture conditions: 30° C. for 72 hours for general bacteria        -   30° C. for 5 days for fungi

TABLE 15 The number of airborne general bacteria Example 1 (the numberof bacteria/3001) Removal Elapsed time Example 1 Blank test rate (%)Start 13 11 — 1 h 0 11 100 2 h 0 11 100

TABLE 16 The number of airborne fungi (the number of fungi/300 1)Example 1 Elapsed time Example 1 Blank test Removal rate (%) Start 10 11— 1 h 0 10 100 2 h 0 9 100

Experimental Example 10 of Third Aspect of Invention

In Experimental Example 10 of the third aspect of the present invention,the following bacterial strains were used. Except for this, the MIC orMBC was determined using the drug according to Example 1 of the thirdaspect of the present invention in the same manner as in ExperimentalExample 1 of the third aspect of the present invention. The resultsobtained are shown in Table 17.

Bacterial Strains to be Used:

Streptococcus mutans

Hemolytic streptococcus

Bacillus subtilis

Candida albicans

TABLE 17 Example 1 Streptococcus MIC (ppm)  5 mutans MBC (ppm) 15Hemolytic MIC (ppm)  0.1 streptococcus MBC (ppm)  1.0 Bacillus subtilisMIC (ppm) 12.5 MBC (ppm) Candida MIC (ppm)  5> albicans MBC (ppm)

Experimental Example 11 of Third Aspect of Invention

Using the drug according to Example 1 of the third aspect of the presentinvention, a deodorization test was performed in accordance with aninstrumental analysis implementation manual; a detector tube method, agas chromatography method (the Certification Standards of AntibacterialFinished Textile Products of Japan Textile Evaluation Technology Councilwere applied with necessary modifications). The results obtained areshown in Table 18.

TABLE 18 Gas Concen- Concen- reduction Impression tration tration rateOdor component of odor 1 (ppm) 2 (ppm) (%) ammonia excrement 100 7 93acetic acid vinegar 50 1 98 hydrogen sulfide rotten egg 4.00 0.12 97methyl mercaptan rotten onion 8.00 4.96 38 tritylamine rotten fish 28.003.08 89 isovaleric acid musty socks 38.00 0.38 99Concentration 1: initial gas concentrationConcentration 2: gas concentration after a lapse of 2 hours

Gas reduction rate: ([concentration 1−concentration 2]/concentration1)×100

Experimental Example 12 of Third Aspect of Invention

The drug according to Example 1 of the third aspect of the presentinvention was applied to acne lesions for 14 consecutive days (a fewtimes a day, about 2 ml/time). As a result, it was clear that the acnewas healed by the application of the drug. This result demonstrates thatthe drug of the third aspect of the present invention is useful as anacne treatment agent.

Examples of Fourth Aspect of Invention

Next, specific examples of the fourth aspect of the present inventionwill be described. It is to be noted, however, that the fourth aspect ofthe present invention is not restricted by the following examples. Inexamples of the fourth aspect of the present invention to be describedbelow, drugs for use in agriculture and livestock industry according tothe examples also may be referred to simply as “drugs”.

First, as drugs to be used in the following experimental examples of thefourth aspect of the invention, drugs according to examples of thefourth aspect of the present invention and comparative examples wereproduced in the following manners.

Example 1 of the Fourth Aspect of the Present Invention

5 g of sodium chlorite was dissolved in purified water to obtain 100 mlof an aqueous solution. Thus, the 40,000 ppm sodium chlorite aqueoussolution was obtained (solution A). 0.1 g of benzethonium chloride wasdissolved in 100 ml of purified water to prepare a 100 ml of 1000 ppmaqueous solution (solution B). 0.1 mol/1 phosphate-NaOH buffer (pH=9.5)was provided. To 600 ml of purified water at pH 7, 20 ml of the solutionA diluted 10-fold and 80 ml of the buffer were added, and then 80 ml ofthe solution B was added. Purified water was further added to make thetotal amount 800 ml. In this manner, the drug according to Example 1 ofthe fourth aspect of the present invention was obtained.

Example 2 of the Fourth Aspect of the Present Invention

5 g of sodium chlorite was dissolved in purified water to obtain 100 mlof an aqueous solution. Thus, the 40,000 ppm sodium chlorite aqueoussolution was obtained. 0.1 g of benzethonium chloride was dissolved in100 ml of purified water to prepare a 1000 ppm aqueous solution. The40,000 ppm sodium chlorite aqueous solution was diluted 40-fold toobtain a 1000 ppm aqueous solution. 10 ml of the sodium chlorite aqueoussolution and 10 ml of the benzethonium chloride aqueous solution wereadded to 80 ml of purified water to obtain a 100 ppm aqueous solution.In this manner, a drug according to Example 2 of the fourth aspect ofthe present invention was obtained.

Comparative Example 1 of the Fourth Aspect of the Present Invention

a bactericide containing sodium hypochlorite and water (commerciallyavailable product)

Comparative Example 2 of the Fourth Aspect of the Present Invention

a sterilizing deodorizer containing sodium hypochlorite (commerciallyavailable product)

Comparative Example 3 of the Fourth Aspect of the Present Invention

a sterilizing deodorizer containing hypochlorous acid and water(commercially available product)

Comparative Example 4 of the Fourth Aspect of the Present Invention

a sterilizing deodorizer containing sodium hypochlorite and water(commercially available product)

Comparative Example 5 of the Fourth Aspect of the Present Invention

a sterilizing deodorizer containing sodium hypochlorite and water(commercially available product)

Comparative Example 6 of the Fourth Aspect of the Present Invention

a sodium chlorite standard solution 1000 ppm (test product)

Comparative Example 7 of the Fourth Aspect of the Present Invention

5 g of sodium chlorite (Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd.) wasdissolved in 100 ml of purified water to prepare a 40,000 ppm aqueoussolution. The 40,000 ppm aqueous solution was further diluted withpurified water to obtain a 100 ppm aqueous solution. In this manner, atest product according to Comparative Example 7 of the fourth aspect ofthe present invention was obtained.

Comparative Example 8 of the Fourth Aspect of the Present Invention

a benzethonium chloride aqueous solution (test product)

Experimental Example 1 of Fourth Aspect of Invention

In Experimental Example 1 of the fourth aspect of the present invention,the following were provided first.

Bacterial Strains to be Used:

Staphylococcus aureus

Escherichia coli MV1184

Bacterial Solution:

Bacteria cultured in a BHI agar medium were collected with a platinumloop and placed in a BHI liquid medium, and the BHI liquid medium wasshaken. The bacteria were allowed to grow in the BHI liquid medium for awhole day and night. 50 μl of the resultant culture solution was diluted190-fold with a BHI liquid medium, and mixed well with the BHI liquidmedium by stirring. The resultant mixture was used as a bacterialsolution.

Using each bacterial strain and bacterial solution, the effect wasexamined in the following manner.

A microplate (with a lid) was sterilized for 10 minutes with a UVsterilization lamp. Next, a BHI liquid medium, the bacterial solution,and the drug according to Example 1 of the fourth aspect of the presentinvention were injected in this order into each well with amicropipette. The bacteria were cultured at 37° C. for 24 hours.Thereafter, the bacteria were examined using a microplate reader, andthe minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined. As a control,the same examination was performed using the liquid medium only.Further, 10 μl of the culture solution was collected from the well inthe vicinity of the MIC, and inoculated in a petri dish. The bacteriawere cultured at 37° C. for 24 hours, and the minimum bactericidalconcentration (MBC) was determined. The results obtained are shown inTable 19.

Using the bactericide according to Comparative Example 1 of the fourthaspect of the present invention instead of the drug according to Example1 of the fourth aspect of the present invention, the MIC and MBC weredetermined in the same manner. The results obtained are shown in Table19.

Using each of the sterilizing deodorizers according to ComparativeExamples 2 to 5 of the fourth aspect of the present invention instead ofthe drug according to Example 1 of the fourth aspect of the presentinvention, the MIC of the Staphylococcus aureus was determined in thesame manner. The results obtained are shown in Table 19.

Using the test product according to Comparative Example 6 of the fourthaspect of the present invention instead of the drug according to Example1 of the fourth aspect of the present invention, the MIC of theStaphylococcus aureus and the MIC and MBC of the Escherichia coli weredetermined in the same manner. The results obtained are shown in Table19.

TABLE 19 Comp. Comp. Comp. Comp. Comp. Comp. Ex. 1 Ex. 1 Ex. 2 Ex. 3 Ex.4 Ex. 5 Ex. 6 S. aureus MIC 1.56 300 ineffective ineffective ineffectiveineffective 40 (ppm) MBC 3.12 300 (ppm) E. Coli MIC 12.5 220 30 (ppm)MBC 20.0 220 50 (ppm)

Experimental Example 2 of Fourth Aspect of Invention

Using the drug according to Example 2 or Comparative Example 7 or 8 ofthe fourth aspect of the present invention instead of the drug accordingto Example 1 of the fourth aspect of the present invention, the MIC ofthe Escherichia coli was determined in the same manner. The resultsobtained are shown in Table 20.

TABLE 20 Ex. 2 Comp. Ex. 7 Comp. Ex. 8 E. coli MIC (ppm) 12.5> 25< 17.5

Experimental Example 3 of Fourth Aspect of Invention

In Experimental Example 3 of the fourth aspect of the present invention,the following were provided first.

Bacterial Strain to be Used:

Streptococcus pyogenes

Bacterial Solution:

A bacterial solution was obtained in the same manner as in ExperimentalExample 1 of the fourth aspect of the present invention.

Using the above bacterial strain and bacterial solution and the drugaccording to Example 1 of the fourth aspect of the present invention,the MIC and MBC were determined in the same manner as in ExperimentalExample 1 of the fourth aspect of the present invention. The resultsobtained are shown in Table 21.

TABLE 21 Ex. 1 Streptococcus pyogenes MIC (ppm) 0.1 MBC (ppm) 1.0

Experimental Example 4 of Fourth Aspect of Invention

In Experimental Example 4 of the fourth aspect of the present invention,the following were provided first.

Bacterial Strains to be Used:

Streptococcus mutans

Bacterial Solution:

Bacteria cultured in a BHI agar medium were collected with a platinumloop and placed in a BHI liquid medium, and the BHI liquid medium wasshaken. The bacteria were allowed to grow in the BHI liquid medium for awhole day and night. 50 μl of the resultant culture solution was diluted190-fold with a BHI liquid medium, and mixed well with the BHI liquidmedium by stirring. The resultant mixture was used as a bacterialsolution.

Using each bacterial strain and bacterial solution, the effect wasexamined in the following manner.

The bacterial solution was injected with a micropipette into a BHIliquid medium placed in each of two test tubes. Saccharose was addedthereto so that the concentration thereof was 0.2%. The bacteria werecultured at 37° C. for 18 hours to allow them to form a biofilm. Themedium in each test tube was discarded in a beaker, and the biofilm waswashed twice with PBS. The drug according to Example 1 of the fourthaspect of the present invention was injected into one of the test tube,and PBS was injected into the other test tube. Then, the test tubes wereshaken at 37° C. for 30 minutes. The liquid in each test tube wasdiscarded in a beaker, and the biofilm was washed twice with PBS. A BHIliquid medium was injected into the test tubes, and the bacteria werecultured at 37° C. for 24 hours. 10 μl of the medium collected from eachtest tube was inoculated into a nutrient agar medium, and the bacteriawere cultured at 37° C. for 24 hours. The presence or absence ofcolonies was checked through visual observation. As a result, while nocolony was observed in the test tube to which the drug according toExample 1 of the fourth aspect of the present invention had beeninjected, many colonies were observed in the test tube to which PBS hadbeen injected.

In order to examine the effect of the drug on the bacterial cells in thebiofilm, the following test was conducted further.

The bacterial solution was injected with a micropipette into a BHIliquid medium placed in microtubes for BioMasher. Saccharose was addedthereto so that the concentration thereof was 0.2%. The bacteria werecultured at 37° C. for 18 hours to allow them to form a biofilm. Themedium in each microtube was discarded in a beaker, and the biofilm waswashed twice with PBS. The drug according to Example 1 of the fourthaspect of the present invention was injected into one of the microtubes,and PBS was injected into the other microtube. The bacteria in theformer microtube and the bacteria in the latter microtube were aged at37° C. for 15 minutes and 30 minutes, respectively. The liquid in eachmicrotube was discarded in a beaker, and the biofilm was washed twicewith PBS. A BHI liquid medium was injected into the test tubes andhomogenized. Thereafter, the bacteria were cultured at 37° C. for 24hours. 10 μl of the medium collected from each microtube was inoculatedinto a nutrient agar medium, and the bacteria were cultured at 37° C.for 24 hours. The presence or absence of colonies was checked throughvisual observation. As a result, while no colony was observed in themicrotube to which the drug according to Example 1 of the fourth aspectof the present invention had been injected, many colonies were observedin the microtube to which PBS had been injected. These resultsdemonstrate that, by impregnating a biofilm with the drug according toExample 1 of the fourth aspect of the present invention, the drug actson bacteria deep inside the biofilm to exhibit the sterilizing effect.

Experimental Example 5 of Fourth Aspect of Invention

In Experimental Example 5 of the fourth aspect of the present invention,the following bacterial strains were used. Except for this, the MIC andMBC were determined using the drug according to Example 1 of the fourthaspect of the present invention in the same manner as in ExperimentalExample 1 of the fourth aspect of the present invention. The resultsobtained are shown in Table 22.

Bacterial Strains to be Used:

Bacteria 1 (Porphyromonas gingivalis)

Bacteria 2 (Treponema denticola)

Bacteria 3 (Tannerella forsythensis)

Bacteria 4 (Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans)

TABLE 22 Ex. 1 Bacteria 1 MIC (ppm) 20.0 MBC (ppm) 20.0 Bacteria 2 MIC(ppm) 25.0 MBC (ppm) 25.0 Bacteria 3 MIC (ppm) 12.5 MBC (ppm) 12.5Bacteria 4 MIC (ppm) 35-45 MBC (ppm) 35-50

Experimental Example 6 of Fourth Aspect of Invention

Test pieces (25.4 mm×25.4 mm) respectively made of iron, aluminum, tinplate, and stainless steel were washed. Thereafter, the test pieces madeof each material were immersed in resin containers containing the drugaccording to Example 1 of the fourth aspect of the present invention, a1.2% sodium hypochlorite aqueous solution, and tap water, respectively,and then, the resin containers were covered with a lid. The test pieceswere taken out on a nonwoven fabric after a lapse of each time periodshown in Tables 23 and 24, and the conditions of the test pieces wereexamined through visual observation. In the examination, pictures weretaken when necessary, and a microscope was used when the change wassubtle. The evaluation was made using the following evaluation criteria.

−: no corrosion±: generation of rust+: fairly large amount of rust++: vary large amount of rust+++: corrosion of metal surfaces

TABLE 23 Test piece 10 min 30 min 1 hr 3 hr 6 hr Iron Example 1 ± ±± + + Hypochlorous acid + + ++ +++ +++ Tap water ± ± ± + AluminumExample 1 − − − − − Hypochlorous acid ± ± ± + + Tap water − − − − − Tinplate Example 1 − − − − − Hypochlorous acid − − − ± ± Tap water − − − −− Stainless Example 1 − − − − − steel Hypochlorous acid − − − − − Tapwater − − − − −

TABLE 24 1 3 1 2 3 4 Test piece day days week weeks weeks weeks IronExample 1 + + + + + + Hypochlorous acid +++ +++ +++ +++ +++ +++ Tapwater + + + + + + Aluminum Example 1 − − − − − − Hypochlorous acid ++ ++++ +++ +++ +++ Tap water − − − − − − Tin plate Example 1 − ± ± ± ± ±Hypochlorous acid + ++ +++ +++ +++ +++ Tap water − ± ± + + + StainlessExample 1 − − − − − − steel Hypochlorous acid − − − − − − Tap water − −− − − −

Experimental Example 7 of Fourth Aspect of Invention

The deodorizing performance test was conducted in accordance with JEM1467 “domestic air cleaner” in the Standards of the Japan ElectricalManufacturers' Association. In the measurement, cigarettes were burnedwhile operating a circulator in an acrylic container (1 m in height×1 min width×1 m in depth) with an internal volume of 1 m³ to fill thecontainer with smoke. After all the cigarettes were burned, thecirculator was stopped, and the drug according to Example 1 of thefourth aspect of the present invention was sprayed in the container byoperating a sprayer. The concentrations of three components, namely,ammonia, acetaldehyde, and acetic acid, in the container were measuredover 2 hours at regular intervals to trace the change in concentrations.Similarly, formaldehyde vapor was injected into an acrylic container andthe formaldehyde concentration in the container was measured over 2hours at regular intervals to trace the change in concentration. Thesprayer was operated in “Manual” mode. As a control, a blank test inwhich the sprayer was not operated was also conducted. The resultsobtained are shown in Tables 25 to 28. The malodorous components weremeasured using detector tubes (Gastec Corporation). The detector tubesused for the measurement are shown below.

Detector Tubes Used for Measurement

ammonia: No. 3L

acetaldehyde: No. 92L

acetic acid: No. 81L

formaldehyde: No. 91

TABLE 25 Ammonia concentration (ppm) Example 1 Elapsed time Example 1Blank test Removal rate (%) Start 30 32 —  5 min  8 32 73  10 min  5 3283  20 min  4 32 87  30 min  2 32 93  45 min  1 31 97  60 min  1> 31 97< 90 min  1> 31 97< 120 min  1> 26 97<

TABLE 26 Acetaldehyde concentration (ppm) Example 1 Elapsed time Example1 Blank test Removal rate (%) Start 14 14 —  5 min 12 14 14  10 min 1014 29  20 min 10 14 29  30 min 7 14 50  45 min 7 14 50  60 min 7 14 50 90 min 7 14 50 120 min 6 14 57

TABLE 27 Acetic acid concentration (ppm) Example 1 Elapsed time Example1 Blank test Removal rate (%) Start 12 10 —  5 min  0.5> 10 96<  10 min 0.5> 10 96<  20 min  0.5> 10 96<  30 min  0.5> 10 96<  45 min  0.5> 1096<  60 min  0.5> 9.5 96<  90 min  0.5> 9.0 96< 120 min  0.5> 9.0 96<

TABLE 28 Formaldehyde concentration (ppm) Example 1 Elapsed time Example1 Blank test Removal rate (%) Start 20 20 —  5 min 10 20 50  10 min 8 2060  20 min 5 20 75  30 min 3 20 85  45 min 2 20 90  60 min 2 20 90  90min 2 18 90 120 min 2 18 90

Experimental Example 8 of Fourth Aspect of Invention

The drug according to Example 1 of the fourth aspect of the presentinvention was sprayed using a sprayer to measure the deodorizingperformance for cigarette odor. First, cigarettes were burned in a roomwith a 6-tatami mat size to fill the room with smoke at a predeterminedconcentration. Next, a sprayer was set in the room, and the odorintensity in the room was measured three times, namely, before operatingthe sprayer, one hour after operating the sprayer, and two hours afteroperating the sprayer. The sprayer was set near a wall in the room, andthe odor was collected at a height of 1 m in the middle of the room. Twocirculation fans were set in the room, and they were operated at alltimes to maintain the air-circulating conditions. The sprayer wasoperated in “Manual” mode. As a control, a blank test in which thesprayer was not operated was also conducted. The odor intensity wasdetermined as follows according to the six-grade odor intensitymeasurement method. The results obtained are shown in Table 29.

The odor intensity was evaluated by six testers (test panel). Theresults were calculated by determining the average value of the odorintensities given by the respective testers. The six-grade odorintensity measurement method is a method for converting odor intensityto a numerical value using human olfaction. The members of the testpanel who had joined the test were those who had taken thelegally-required olfactometry and had been admitted as having normalolfaction.

In the six-grade odor intensity measurement method, the followingnumerical values are used as evaluation criteria.

0: odorless1: barely perceivable odor (detection threshold concentration)2: weakly perceivable odor (recognition threshold concentration)3: easily perceivable odor4: strong odor5: very strong odor

TABLE 29 Odor intensity Elapsed time Example 1 Blank test Start 4.6 4.51 h 3.5 4.5 2 h 2.9 4.2

Experimental Example 9 of Fourth Aspect of Invention

The drug according to Example 1 of the fourth aspect of the presentinvention was sprayed with a sprayer to measure the performance thereofto remove airborne bacteria (general bacteria, fungi). First, a sprayerwas set in a room with a 6-tatami mat size, and the concentration ofairborne bacteria in the air was measured three times, namely, beforeoperating the sprayer, one hour after operating the sprayer, and twohours after operating the sprayer. The sprayer was set near a wall inthe room, and the airborne bacteria were collected at a height of 1 m inthe middle of the room. Two circulation fans were set in the room, andthey were operated at all times to maintain the air-circulatingconditions. The airborne bacteria were measured by a filtration methodusing a membrane filter. The sprayer was operated in “Manual” mode. As acontrol, a blank test in which the sprayer was not operated was alsoconducted. The results obtained are shown in Tables 30 and 31.

Measurement conditions etc. in Experimental Example 9 of the fourthaspect of the present invention

-   -   Filter to be used: Toyo Roshi Kaisha, Ltd., 37 mm Monitors    -   Amount of sucked air: 3001 (sucked for 15 minutes at 20 l/min)    -   Medium to be used: m-TGE Broth liquid medium for general        bacteria (Toyo Seisakusho Kaisha, Ltd.)        -   m-Green Y & M Broth liquid medium for fungi (Toyo Seisakusho            Kaisha, Ltd.)    -   Culture conditions: 30° C. for 72 hours for general bacteria        -   30° C. for 5 days for fungi

TABLE 30 The number of airborne general bacteria (the number ofbacteria/300 1) Example 1 Elapsed time Example 1 Blank test Removal rate(%) Start 13 11 — 1 h 0 11 100 2 h 0 11 100

TABLE 31 The number of airborne fungi (the number of fungi/300 1)Example 1 Elapsed time Example 1 Blank test Removal rate (%) Start 10 11— 1 h 0 10 100 2 h 0 9 100

Experimental Example 10 of Fourth Aspect of Invention

In Experimental Example 10 of the fourth aspect of the presentinvention, the following bacterial strains were used. Except for this,the MIC or MBC was determined using the drug according to Example 1 ofthe fourth aspect of the present invention in the same manner as inExperimental Example 1 of the fourth aspect of the present invention.The results obtained are shown in Table 32.

Bacterial Strains to be Used:

Streptococcus mutans

Hemolytic streptococcus

Bacillus subtilis

methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)

TABLE 32 Example 1 Streptococcus MIC (ppm) 5 mutans MBC (ppm) 15Hemolytic MIC (ppm) 0.1 streptococcus MBC (ppm) 1.0 Bacillus subtilisMIC (ppm) 12.5 MBC (ppm) MRSA MIC (ppm) 2 MBC (ppm)

Experimental Example 11 of Fourth Aspect of Invention

Using the drug according to Example 1 of the fourth aspect of thepresent invention, a deodorization test was performed in accordance withan instrumental analysis implementation manual; a detector tube method,a gas chromatography method (the Certification Standards ofAntibacterial Finished Textile Products of Japan Textile EvaluationTechnology Council were applied with necessary modifications). Theresults obtained are shown in Table 33.

TABLE 33 Gas Concen- Concen- reduction Impression tration tration rateOdor component of odor 1 (ppm) 2 (ppm) (%) ammonia excrement 100 7 93acetic acid vinegar 50 1 98 hydrogen sulfide rotten egg 4.00 0.12 97methyl mercaptan rotten onion 8.00 4.96 38 tritylamine rotten fish 28.003.08 89 isovaleric acid musty socks 38.00 0.38 99Concentration 1: initial gas concentrationConcentration 2: gas concentration after a lapse of 2 hours

Gas reduction rate: ([concentration 1−concentration 2]/concentration1)×100

Experimental Example 12 of Fourth Aspect of Invention

The drug according to the fourth aspect of the present invention wasadministered to mice in order to examine whether the drug according tothe fourth aspect of the present invention is highly safe.

Using the drug according to Example 1 of the fourth aspect of thepresent invention, an acute oral toxicity test was performed on mice inaccordance with OECD TG 420 (fixed dose procedure). The test wasconducted by Japan Food Research Laboratories. As a result, LD50 of thedrug was 2000 mg/kg or more in both the female and male mice. Thisresult demonstrates that that the drug according to the fourth aspect ofthe present invention is highly safe.

Experimental Example 13 of Fourth Aspect of Invention

The drug according to the fourth aspect of the present invention wasadministered to rabbits in order to examine whether the drug accordingto the fourth aspect of the present invention is highly safe.

Using the drug according to Example 1 of the fourth aspect of thepresent invention, an eye irritation test was performed on rabbits inaccordance with OECD TG 405 Acute Eye Irritation/Corrosion. The test wasconducted by Japan Food Research Laboratories. As a result, it was foundthat the drug was non-irritating. From this result, it was found thatthat the drug according to the fourth aspect of the present invention ishighly safe.

Experimental Example 14 of Fourth Aspect of Invention

The drug according to the fourth aspect of the present invention wasadministered to rabbits in order to examine whether the drug accordingto the fourth aspect of the present invention is highly safe.

Using the drug according to Example 1 of the fourth aspect of thepresent invention, a primary skin irritation test was performed onrabbits in accordance with OECD TG 404 Acute Skin Irritation/Corrosion.The test was conducted by Japan Food Research Laboratories. As a result,it was found that the drug was slightly irritating. This resultdemonstrates that the drug according to the fourth aspect of the presentinvention is highly safe.

Experimental Example 15 of Fourth Aspect of Invention

The drug according to the fourth aspect of the present invention wasadministered to guinea pigs in order to examine whether the drugaccording to the fourth aspect of the present invention is highly safe.

Using the drug according to Example 1 of the fourth aspect of thepresent invention, a continuous skin irritation test was performed onguinea pigs by applying the drug on their skin for 14 consecutive days.The test was conducted by Life Science Laboratories, Ltd. As a result,it was found that the drug was non-irritating. This demonstrates thatthat the drug according to the fourth aspect of the present invention ishighly safe.

Experimental Example 16 of Fourth Aspect of Invention

The drug according to the fourth aspect of the present invention wasadministered to guinea pigs in order to examine whether the drugaccording to the fourth aspect of the present invention is highly safe.

Using the drug according to Example 1 of the fourth aspect of thepresent invention, a skin sensitization test was performed on guineapigs by the maximization test method. The test was conducted by LifeScience Laboratories, Ltd. As a result, it was found that the drug didnot cause skin sensitization. This result demonstrates that the drugaccording to the fourth aspect of the present invention is highly safe.

Experimental Example 17 of Fourth Aspect of Invention

The drug according to the fourth aspect of the present invention wasadministered to humans in order to examine whether the drug according tothe fourth aspect of the present invention is highly safe.

Using the drug according to Example 1 of the fourth aspect of thepresent invention, a human patch test was conducted by attaching patchesimpregnated with the drug to humans for 24 hours. The test was conductedby Life Science Laboratories, Ltd. As a result, it was found that thedrug was non-irritating. This result demonstrates that the drugaccording to the fourth aspect of the present invention is highly safe.

Experimental Example 18 of Fourth Aspect of Invention

The present example examined whether the drug according to the fourthaspect of the present invention can inhibit the occurrence of riceblast.

Seeds of Koshihikari (rice cultivar) were subjected to seed selectionwith a salt solution, and diseased seeds were removed by removingfloating seeds. The thus-selected seeds were washed with water, drained,and packed in a coarse saran fiber bag. Next, a diluted solution wasprepared by diluting the drug according to Example 1 of the fourthaspect of the present invention 200-fold (also referred to as “200-folddilution” hereinafter). Then, the seeds packed in the saran fiber bagwere immersed in the 200-fold dilution twice as heavy as the seeds for24 hours. During the immersion treatment, water replacement was notperformed. After the immersion treatment, the seeds were air-dried, andthen subjected to the immersion treatment again for 6 days. During theimmersion treatment, water replacement was not performed. After theimmersion treatment, the seeds were further subjected to the immersiontreatment again for 6 days.

Next, the seeds were seeded in seedling boxes, and further, the 200-folddilution was sprayed (500 ml/seedling box). Thereafter, the seeds weregrown. The obtained seedlings were planted in a rice field, andcultivated by an ordinary method. Then, occurrence of rice blast duringthe cultivation was examined. As a control, the occurrence of rice blastwas examined in the same manner, except that seeds of Hitomebore (ricecultivar) were used instead of the seeds of Koshihikari, the immersiontreatments in the 200-fold dilution were not performed, and seedlings ofHitomebore were planted in a rice field adjacent to the rice field wherethe seedlings of Koshihikari were planted.

As a result, the occurrence of rice blast was not observed in the ricefield where the seedlings obtained from the seeds subjected to theimmersion treatments with the 200-fold dilution were planted. Incontrast, in the control, the occurrence of rice blast was observed.These results demonstrate that the drug according to the fourth aspectof the present invention can inhibit the occurrence of rice blast.

Experimental Example 19 of Fourth Aspect of Invention

The present example examined whether the drug according to the fourthaspect of the present invention can restrict the spread of rice blast.

A rice field with a high incidence of rice blast was ploughed andirrigated while adding a diluted solution obtained by diluting the drugaccording to Example 1 of the fourth aspect of the present invention10-fold (also referred to as “10-fold dilution” hereinafter) to the ricefield (101 of the 10-fold dilution per 10 a of the rice field). Next,the seedlings of Koshihikari used in Experimental Example 18 of thefourth aspect of the invention were planted in a rice field after beingploughed and irrigated, and cultivated. Then, when the occurrence ofrice blast was observed during the cultivation, stalks infected withrice blast were removed, and the 10-fold dilution was sprayed aroundareas where the stalks infected with rice blast had been cultivated (1 lof the 10-fold dilution per 10 a of the rice field). As a control,instead of the seedlings of Koshihikari obtained in Experimental Example18 of the fourth aspect of the invention, the control seedlings inExperimental Example 18 of the fourth aspect of the invention werecultivated in the same manner, except that the control seedlings wereplanted in a rice field adjacent to the rice field where the seedlingsof Koshihikari were planted, without adding or spraying the 10-folddilution to the rice field. Then, whether the rice blast that hadoccurred in the rice field where the control seedlings were plantedspread out to the rice field where the seedlings of Koshihikari wereplanted during the cultivation was examined.

As a result, in the rice field where the control seedlings were planted,the occurrence and spread of rice blast were observed. In contrast, inthe rice field where the seedlings of Koshihikari were planted, whilethe occurrence of rice blast was observed slightly above primaryrachis-branches in an area within about 2 to 3 m from the boundary tothe rice field where the control seedlings were planted, the spread ofthe rice blast to the remaining area of the rice field was not observed.These results demonstrate that the drug according to the fourth aspectof the present invention can restrict the spread of rice blast.

Experimental Example 20 of Fourth Aspect of Invention

The present example examined whether the drug according to the fourthaspect of the present invention can repel shield bugs and pest insects.

The seedlings of Koshihikari obtained in Experimental Example 18 of thefourth aspect of the invention were planted in rice fields owned by 23farmers and cultivated in the same manner as in the Experimental Example19 of the fourth aspect of the invention, except that the rice fieldswere treated one by one by the respective farmers. Then, after thecultivation, each of the farmers was interviewed about the extent towhich shield bugs and pest insects approached the rice field as comparedwith previous years.

As a result, eight farmers commented that repelling of shield bugs andpest insects was observed. These results demonstrate that the drugaccording to the fourth aspect of the present invention can repel shieldbugs and pest insects.

While the present invention has been described above with reference toillustrative embodiments and examples, the present invention is by nomeans limited thereto. Various changes and modifications that may becomeapparent to those skilled in the art may be made in the configurationand specifics of the present invention without departing from the scopeof the present invention.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY Industrial Applicability of First Aspect ofInvention

As specifically described above, according to the radical generatingcatalyst and radical production method of the first aspect of thepresent invention, it is possible to generate (produce) radicals undermild conditions. The radical generating catalyst and radical productionmethod of the first aspect of the present invention can be used in, forexample, the oxidation reaction product production method of the firstaspect of the present invention. The oxidation reaction productproduction method of the first aspect of the present invention isapplicable to oxidation reactions of various substances to be oxidized,including organic compounds and inorganic substances, and has a widerange of application potential. Further, the use of the radicalgenerating catalyst and radical production method of the first aspect ofthe present invention is not limited to the oxidation reaction productproduction method of the first aspect of the present invention, and theyare applicable to a wide variety of uses.

Industrial Applicability of Second Aspect of Invention

As specifically described above, according to the radical productionmethod of the second aspect of the present invention, it is possible togenerate (produce) radicals under mild conditions. The radicalproduction method of the second aspect of the present invention can beused in, for example, the oxidation reaction product production methodof the second aspect of the present invention. The oxidation reactionproduct production method of the second aspect of the present inventionis applicable to oxidation reactions of various substances to beoxidized, including organic compounds and inorganic substances, and hasa wide range of application potential. Further, the use of the radicalproduction method of the second aspect of the present invention is notlimited to the oxidation reaction product production method of thesecond aspect of the present invention, and they are applicable to awide variety of uses.

Industrial Applicability of Third and Fourth Aspect of the Invention

As specifically described above, according to the third aspect of thepresent invention, it is possible to provide a drug that is highly safeand has a high sterilizing effect. Further, according to the fourthaspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a drug foruse in agriculture and livestock industry that is highly safe and has ahigh sterilizing effect. The use of the third and fourth aspects of thepresent invention is not particularly limited, and they are applicableto a wide variety of uses. The fourth aspect of the present invention isvery useful in the fields of agriculture, livestock industry, etc., forexample.

1-70. (canceled)
 71. A radical generating catalyst comprising: anammonium salt represented by the following chemical formula (XI)(excluding peroxodisulfate) and having a Lewis acidity of 0.4 eV ormore, wherein the radical generating catalyst catalyzes radicalgeneration from a radical source in a liquid that is not acidic, and theradical source is at least one selected from the group consisting ofhalogenous acids, halite ions, and halites:

where in the chemical formula (XI), R¹¹, R²¹, R³¹, and R⁴¹ are each ahydrogen atom or an alkyl group and may each comprise an ether bond, acarbonyl group, an ester bond, or an amide bond, or an aromatic ring,and R¹¹, R²¹, R³¹, and R⁴¹ may be the same or different from each other,and X⁻ is an anion (excluding a peroxodisulfate ion).
 72. The radicalgenerating catalyst according to claim 71, wherein in the ammonium saltrepresented by the chemical formula (XI), R¹¹, R²¹, R³¹, and R⁴¹ areeach a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group, and R¹¹, R²¹, R³¹, and R⁴¹ maybe the same or different from each other.
 73. The radical generatingcatalyst according to claim 71, wherein the ammonium salt represented bythe chemical formula (XI) is an ammonium salt represented by thefollowing chemical formula (XII):

where in the chemical formula (XII), R¹¹ is an alkyl group having 5 to40 carbon atoms and may comprise an ether bond, a carbonyl group, anester bond, or an amide bond, or an aromatic ring, and R²¹ and X⁻ arethe same as those in the chemical formula (XI).
 74. The radicalgenerating catalyst according to claim 71, wherein the ammonium saltrepresented by the chemical formula (XI) is at least one selected fromthe group consisting of benzethonium chloride, benzalkonium chloride,hexadecyltrimethylammonium chloride, tetramethylammonium chloride,ammonium chloride, tetrabutylammonium chloride, cetylpyridiniumchloride, hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide, dequalinium chloride,edrophonium, didecyldimethylammonium chloride, benzyltriethylammoniumchloride, oxytropium, carbachol, glycopyrronium, safranin, sinapine,tetraethylammonium bromide, hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide,suxamethonium, sphingomyelin, denatonium, trigonelline, neostigmine,paraquat, pyridostigmine, phellodendrine, pralidoxime methiodide,betaine, betanin, bethanechol, lecithin, and cholines.
 75. The radicalgenerating catalyst according to claim 71, wherein the ammonium saltrepresented by the chemical formula (XI) is an ammonium salt representedby the following chemical formula (XIII):

where in the chemical formula (XIII), R¹¹¹ is an alkyl group having 5 to40 carbon atoms, and X⁻ is the same as that in the chemical formula(XI).
 76. The radical generating catalyst according to claim 71, whereinthe ammonium salt is a salt of NH₄ ⁺.
 77. The radical generatingcatalyst according to claim 76, wherein the ammonium salt is NH₄Cl. 78.The radical generating catalyst according to claim 71, wherein theammonium salt is a hexafluorophosphate of the ammonium.
 79. The radicalgenerating catalyst according to claim 71, wherein the radical source isa chlorite ion.
 80. A radical generating catalyst comprising: anammonium salt represented by the following chemical formula (XI) andhaving a Lewis acidity of 0.4 eV or more, wherein the radical generatingcatalyst catalyzes radical generation from a radical source in thepresence of an oxidizing agent, the oxidizing agent is O₂, and theradical source is at least one selected from the group consisting of:nitrogen-containing aromatic cation derivatives represented by thefollowing formulae (A-1) to (A-8); 9-substituted acridinium ionsrepresented by the following formula (A-9); quinolinium ion derivativesrepresented by the following formula (I); stereoisomers and tautomersthereof; and salts thereof:

where in the chemical formula (XI), R¹¹, R²¹, R³¹, and R⁴¹ are each ahydrogen atom or an alkyl group and may each comprise an ether bond, acarbonyl group, an ester bond, or an amide bond, or an aromatic ring,and R¹¹, R²¹, R³¹, and R⁴¹ may be the same or different from each other,and X⁻ is an anion,

where in the formulae (A-1) to (A-8) and (A-9), R is a hydrogen atom orany substituent, Ar is an electron donor group, and the number of Arsmay be one or more, and when a plurality of Ars are present, they may bethe same or different from each other, a nitrogen-containing aromaticring that forms a nitrogen-containing aromatic cation may or may nothave at least one substituent other than R and Ar, and in the formula(I), R¹ is a hydrogen atom or any substituent, Ar¹ to Ar³ are each ahydrogen atom or the electron donor group and may be the same ordifferent from each other, and at least one of Ar′ to AP is the electrondonor group.
 81. A method for producing a radical, the methodcomprising: a mixing step of mixing the radical generating catalystaccording to claim 71 with the radical source.
 82. A method forproducing a radical, the method comprising: a mixing step of mixing aLewis acid having a Lewis acidity of 0.4 eV or more (excludingperoxodisulfate) with a radical source; and a reaction step of reactingthe Lewis acid with the radical source in a liquid that is not acidic,wherein the radical source is at least one selected from the groupconsisting of halogenous acids, halite ions, and halites.
 83. The methodaccording to claim 82, wherein the radical source is a chlorite ion. 84.A method for producing a radical, the method comprising: a mixing stepof mixing a Lewis acid having a Lewis acidity of 0.4 eV or more, O₂, anda radical source together; and a reaction step of reacting the Lewisacid, the O₂, and the radical source with each other in a liquid,wherein the Lewis acid is the radical generating catalyst according toclaim 80, and the radical source is at least one selected from the groupconsisting of: nitrogen-containing aromatic cation derivativesrepresented by the formulae (A-1) to (A-8); 9-substituted acridiniumions represented by the formula (A-9); quinolinium ion derivativesrepresented by the formula (I); stereoisomers and tautomers thereof; andsalts thereof
 85. The method according to claim 82, wherein the Lewisacid is the radical generating catalyst according to any one of claims 1to
 9. 86. The method according to claim 81, wherein in the mixing step,a solvent further is mixed.
 87. The method according to claim 81,further comprising: a light irradiation step of irradiating a mixtureobtained in the mixing step with light.
 88. A method for producing aradical, the method comprising: a mixing step of mixing a Lewis acidhaving a Lewis acidity of 0.4 eV or more (excluding peroxodisulfate)with a radical source; and a reaction step of reacting the Lewis acidwith the radical source in a liquid, wherein the Lewis acid having aLewis acidity of 0.4 eV or more comprises an inorganic substance, andthe radical source is at least one selected from the group consisting ofhalogenous acids, halite ions, and halites.
 89. The method according toclaim 88, wherein the inorganic substance comprises a metal ion.
 90. Themethod according to claim 89, wherein the inorganic substance is atleast one selected from the group consisting of alkaline-earth metalions, rare-earth ions, Mg²⁺, Sc³⁺, Li⁺, Fe²⁺, Fe³⁺, Al³⁺, silicate ions,and borate ions.
 91. The method according to claim 82, wherein the Lewisacid having a Lewis acidity of 0.4 eV or more is at least one selectedfrom the group consisting of AlCl₃, AlMeCl₂, AlMe₂Cl, BF₃, BPh₃, BMe₃,TiCl₄, SiF₄, and SiCl₄.
 92. The method according to 88, wherein theradical source is a chlorite ion.
 93. A method for producing anoxidation reaction product by oxidizing a substance to be oxidized, themethod comprising: a radical production step of producing a radical bythe method according to claim 81; and an oxidation reaction step ofreacting the substance to be oxidized with an oxidizing agent by actionof the radical, thereby generating the oxidation reaction product. 94.The method according to claim 93, wherein the radical also serves as theoxidizing agent.